James Cameron is gearing up for the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, as is the rest of the world. The filmmaker talked about the upcoming release and the impact of its commercial performance on his future plans with the Avatar franchise in a recent appearance on Matthew Belloni's podcast The Town. Cameron said that he feels nervous about Fire and Ash, in spite of his successful track record at the box office. The film is set to hit theatres on December 19 this year. Meanwhile, distributor 20th Century Studios has already announced two more films in the larger Avatar franchise. However, Cameron suggested that the film would effectively end the franchise. In other words, it will complete the main story threads for Sam Worthington's Jake Sully, Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri, and the couple's family. He compared it to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with regard to the completion of the main story arc.
Remember, some of the characters from The Lord of the Rings also features in the Hobbit films, as part of the larger LOTR universe. Similarly, Cameron suggested that the future Avatar films will show "what happens to everybody," even as the main story arc stands complete with Fire and Ash. While he affirmed that this is how he views it, he also said, "that may not be how the public sees it." He did say that the upcoming film will have an open thread. "There is one open thread. I'll write a book," he said before reiterating, "If this is where it ends, cool."
Reading between the lines, the filmmaker seems to be suggesting that a minor open plot thread could pave the way for expansion in the future Avatar films.
The filmmaker also hinted at passing on directorial duties in the next instalments in the franchise, although he confirmed that he would be closely associated with those projects as well. "I have choices there. There are levels in which I immerse. I could produce," he said.
