Legendary filmmaker James Cameron says he's looking to retire after 5 or 6 more movies. Cameron rose to prominence as a director with films like 1984's The Terminator and 1986's Aliens and is now widely regarded as one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. He would go on to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Titanic, the latter of which became the first movie ever to make more than $1 billion at the global box office. After the mega-success of 2009's Avatar, the director is now all-in on his franchise, with the film's sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, and three additional sequels in various stages of development.
In a recent interview with THR, Cameron, who is now 68, discusses his retirement plans and says that he still wants to make 5 or 6 more movies before calling it quits. The director reveals that 3 of these movies will likely be Avatar sequels and that he actually has plans for a sixth and seventh movie in the franchise if the audience demand is there. However, he also recognizes that his age means he might have to hand the Avatar reins off to someone else if the franchise continues beyond the fifth movie. Check out Cameron's full comment below:
“I’d be 89 by then. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to make Avatar movies indefinitely, the amount of energy required. I would have to train somebody how to do this because, I don’t care how smart you are as a director, you don’t know how to do this.”
Who Could Take Over For James Cameron When He Retires
Bringing two Avatar movies to life has essentially taken 25 years of Cameron's life, meaning if someone were to continue the franchise after he retires, they would need to have the same level of passion and dedication for the franchise that he does. As Cameron has revealed in previous interviews, a major reason why the first Avatar was such a passion project, in addition to its groundbreaking 3D and CGI technology, is because of the movie's themes regarding environmentalism. Avatar: The Way of Water seems to feature similar themes albeit in an ocean environment, meaning whoever takes Cameron's place should probably also have a passion for encouraging environmental conservation through storytelling.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler would make for an interesting Cameron successor due to his exploration of race across his work. While Avatar doesn't necessarily explore race on the surface, the first film featured very thinly-veiled colonial metaphors that could potentially be worked into something more complex and nuanced under the direction of a person of color. Avatar is mostly fantasy, but there are certainly elements of science-fiction in the film's story, and there are a number of younger directors who have proven themselves across those genres. District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, for example, could potentially bring a grittier feeling to the franchise.
Ultimately, however, nobody will ever really be able to replace Cameron. It remains to be seen how audiences will receive Avatar: The Way of Water, but initial trailers suggest it will be just as breathtaking and groundbreaking as the first movie. Cameron has had one of the most successful and beloved careers in Hollywood history and finding someone with his sensibilities and eye for storytelling seems in many ways like an impossible task. Thankfully, however, the acclaimed Avatar director sounds like he'll try to keep working for at least another 15 or 20 years.
Source: THR
