James Cameron Says Being Hit By a Bus is The Only Way He Won't Direct AVATAR 4 and 5

James Cameron is all in on the Avatar franchise and fully invested. After reports surfaced that he might not direct Avatar 4 and 5, the filmmaker confirmed that he’s not going anywhere and that he would have to be hit by a bus to stop him from working on these movies.

During an interview with THR, Cameron was asked if he plans on directing Avatar 5 and 6 and he responded: "Sure. Absolutely. I mean, they’re going to have to stop me.

“I’ve got plenty of energy, I love doing what I’m doing. Look, if I get hit by a bus and I’m in an iron lung, somebody else is going to do it."

He then added: “Yeah, I try to avoid that kind of scenario.”

So, as long as Cameron doesn’t find himself staring death in the face, he is going to direct all of these Avatar films that he has planned.

It’s still too early to know where the story is going to go with the future of the franchise, but when talking about the third film in the franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron said: "Yeah. It’s really fucking cool. You’re going to love it. And I can’t talk about it."

He recently talked about it at D23, saying: “It’s so gratifying to feel that love for this world of Pandora and these characters that my team has been working on for over 18 years.

“I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on for Avatar 3. Every day when I’m reviewing new shots, it’s like Christmas morning. The characters are so alive and it all feels so real.

“As you’d expect, it’s this insane adventure but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before. We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.

“There are new characters, especially one we think you’re going to love — or love to hate. You’re going to see a lot more of Pandora the planet that you’ve never seen before.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theatres on December 19, 2025.