James Cameron Reveals Plans for the Future of the 'Avatar' Franchise

James Cameron has spent the last decade and a half bringing his Avatar film franchise to life, most recently with the second installment Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2022. Cameron has spoken in the past about his big dreams for the series in the next decade and beyond, but even the Oscar-winning director knows he'll have to hand off the franchise to someone else eventually.

Cameron gave an update on the upcoming movies' progress in a Feb. 5 interview with People magazine. With two movies now in the bank, Cameron is ready to continue expanding the Avatar universe.

"We're fully written through movie five," he said. The next three scripts are done, but Cameron and his collaborators aren't done creating the Avatar world on paper just yet. Still, Cameron, who turns 70 this year, acknowledged that he'll probably have to step away at some point down the line. "I've got ideas for six and seven, although I'll probably be handing the baton on at that point," he admitted. "I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people."

Related: James Cameron Calls Titan Sub Search a 'Nightmarish Charade'

Seven films in one franchise is certainly an ambitious endeavor, but Cameron wants Avatar to stand as one of the greatest sci-fi franchises in film history, joined by Star Wars and Star Trek.

"Star Trek, Star Wars, the world-building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations," Cameron confessed. "We're still a young universe. We're only two movies in; we're halfway through our third right now. To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it."

"People are always asking us, 'So why did you just keep working in the same [universe]. Why did [George] Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did [Gene] Roddenberry keep working in the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?"

The third Avatar movie is expected to hit theaters in 2025. It'll be followed by Avatar 4 in 2029 and Avatar 5 in 2031.