james Cameron weighs Future Films โAmid Rising โVFXโ Costs, Addresses ‘Ghosts of โคHiroshima’ Status
Filmmaker James Cameron is at a crossroads, balancing potential sequels to “Avatar” with โขother projects, including โฃthe planned film โค”Ghostsโ of Hiroshima,” โขwhile grappling with escalating productionโค costs, โคparticularly in visual effects.โ Inโ a recent interview, Cameronโ detailed his considerations for the future, acknowledging uncertainty around continuing โthe “Avatar” saga and outlining a desire to explore diverse storytelling avenues.
The discussion comes as “Avatar: The Way ofโ Water” is โขslated forโฃ aโข re-release, and following โขreported changes โto a previously announcedโค project, โฃ”fire and Ash,”โ a live-action adaptation of a Japanese novel. Cameron โclarified the status of “Ghosts of Hiroshima,” a project he granted a friend permission to announce he’d acquired,โ stating, “I gave them permission to announce that I had bought it โฃto turn โinto aโ film, but I haven’t written a scriptโค yet.” He intends to direct it once โฃa script heโฃ approves is completed.
A key factor influencing Cameron’sโ decisions is the โfinancial performance of “Avatar 3,” set for releaseโฃ in โdecember 2025. “The big swing in all of โthis is, doโ we make any money with ‘Avatar 3’?”โค he stated.โ “We’ll make some money.But the question is, what kind of a profit margin, if any, is there, โand how much of โฃan inducement is that to continue โon in this universe?” He acknowledged the possibility of pausing theโข franchise to address rising โproduction costs, especiallyโข in VFX, which have “spiraled over the last few years.”
Cameron outlined several potential paths forward: continuing directly into “Avatar 4″โฃ and “Avatar 5″โ with a revised production methodology allowing forโค concurrent work on other films; taking a break to develop smaller, more personal projects; or simply completing the next two “Avatar” films before โreassessing. “There’s an argument for taking a โpause and figuring that out,” he said.
Acknowledging the uncertainty, Cameron stated, “If you’re interpreting fromโค that that I’m at โฃa bit of a crossroads hear – it’s not all mapped out. You know, life isn’t like that. I am at a bit of a crossroads here, and I’m going to have to see โขwhat draws me to what as I go forward.” He affirmed his commitment โto directing and storytelling, stating, “The only thing I can tell you right now, I’m not goingโ to stop being a director and a storyteller.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
