James Cameron Will Keep Making ‘Avatar’ Movies Whether You Want Him to or Not

Nothing is slowing down the Avatar franchise, not even James Cameron’s other cinematic projects. While there has been recent momentum on films beyond the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash—he’s currently developing two features, The Ghosts of Hiroshima and The Devils—make no mistake: he’s still all in with Pandora. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Cameron talked about why he is so committed to the world of Avatar and it’s not (just) because the films make the big bucks every time one is released. “I’ve justified making Avatar movies to myself for the last 20 years, not based on how much money we made, but on the basis that hopefully it can do some good, it can help connect us, it can help connect us to our lost aspect of ourself that connects with nature and respects nature and all those things,” he shared. He’s personally invested in the Pandora stories—which have clearly also resonated with audiences—and he also appreciates how they’ve continued to push him to elevate cinema technology. “So do I think that movies are the answer to our human problems? No, I think they’re limited because people sometimes just want entertainment, and they don’t want to be challenged in that way. I think Avatar is a Trojan horse strategy that gets you into a piece of entertainment but then works on your brain and your heart a little bit in a way.” His interest in politics has informed his storytelling approach. “We will go one of two ways. We’ll either fragment and be at each other’s throats, fighting over the scraps of what’s left, or we’ll evolve to the next level. And the next level, music plays a part, a huge part. Film, culture, books, these all play a part. They connect us to the other guy, to the other way of viewing the world. We get inside through art. We get inside the heads of other people in a way that we just don’t do in our normal daily lives. And I think that that’s where hope lies. Hope lies in us evolving.” Empathy and hope have been perhaps the most influential moral compass of Cameron’s movies, as seen not only in the Avatar franchise but as early as his Terminator films. “I think art in the broadest sense—meaning writing, film, music, culture—is part of the hope, part of the positive side of the equation,” he said. “When I was writing, imagining the story for Terminator 2, a song kept going through my head, which was Sting’s [‘Russians,’ where he sings] ‘I hope the Russians love their children, too’ … When Sarah sees the children in the playground incinerated, that was the core image for that film, and then she gets incinerated herself. So it was really about mothers, children. She was highly dehumanized at the beginning of that story. She finds her empathy, she breaks through that wall, and so I was dealing with all those themes back then.” That continues now, though as Cameron noted, “I can only hope that I’m just maybe a better, more experienced filmmaker now, and I can deal with this subject respectfully and correctly.” And if it’s through the continued success of the Avatar movies saving cinema time and time again, can we truly just let the man do his thing? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. AvatarAvatar: Fire and AshAvatar: The Way of WaterJames CameronThe Devils Get the best tech, science, and culture news in your inbox daily. News from the future, delivered to your present. Please select your desired newsletters and submit your email to upgrade your inbox. Cameron doesn't want to destroy generative AI, but he does realize that it is an existential problem for the movie industry to solve. Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta’s interview with an AI version of a Parkland shooting victim was meant to send a message about gun violence, but it’s raised deeper questions about ethics, grief, and the limits of AI. The director has found great success with his motion-capture epics—and is hoping to expand the world of Pandora with an animated side project. James Cameron directs the third film in his 3D CGI mega-hit sci-fi franchise, out December 19. Here's your first look at the next chapter of the Avatar saga—including the next Avatar to follow in Aang and Korra's footsteps. Plus, get a peek at the new villain of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'.