"I've got other stories to tell" : James Cameron wants to venture out of Avatar films

For‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ more than ten years, James Cameron has been constructing the world of Avatar, but he now openly states that his artistic vision is not limited to Pandora. On December 17, 2025, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron addressed the criticism that he has spent too much of his career on the Avatar franchise.

Such a criticism has come up many times in the discussions of fans and on social media platforms. When confronted with accusations that his fixation on Avatar is a waste of his talents, Cameron shot down the idea quite directly. He saw the issue as one of his own creative choices rather than a public negotiation and thus indicated that the scale and the longevity of the franchise were the artistic priorities that he couldn't let go of.

He said to The Hollywood Reporter,

"I’ve got other stories to tell, and I’ve got other stories to tell within Avatar."

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James Cameron on moving on from Avatar

James Cameron (Image Via Getty Images)

James Cameron is moving on from Avatar. For the first time in several years, Cameron confirmed that he does not intend to spend the rest of his filmmaking career working exclusively on Avatar films.

He said that there are still some stories left to tell in the world of Avatar, but he also has plenty of ideas that are unrelated to it. Cameron revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on December 17, 2025, that he is eager to find a way that will allow him to pursue both of these interests while still making films.

James Cameron hinted that this alteration in his way of working might mean that he would be operating differently, rather than just personally overseeing every detail. He intends to collaborate more and have an extended second-unit team take care of the work.

Cameron has already delegated more duties to his second units and he is very sure that they will be able to take on a major part of the production if the forthcoming Avatar installments get the green light. Nevertheless, he also admitted that it is still a question whether Disney would decide to produce more Avatar films if he is not there to supervise at every level.

However, this concession to give up some control does not mean that James Cameron is dropping the baton as a director. He rather talked about a step-by-step withdrawal from the daily routine and a reduction in his direct management.

His words indicate that he is trying to hold on to the creative power within while steering clear of the long production periods that are typical for the recent Avatar films.

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Details on Avatar: Fire and Ash explored

James Cameron's changed view on the matter coincides with the continued release of the third installment of the Avatar series, Fire and Ash. It premiered in Hollywood on December 1, 2025, with a New Zealand premiere following on December 13, and was released in theaters across the United States on December 19.

The film, directed by James Cameron and co-written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, marks another significant chapter in the Avatar saga. The film Avatar: Fire and Ash moves beyond the Reef clans introduced in The Way of Water, revealing a new story of the Mangkwan clan, better known as the Ash People.

The narrative shows how Jake Sully and Neytiri first oppose the mounting threats from the human forces and hostile Na’vi factions, but then, along with that struggle, they encounter personal loss and changing alliances.

The movie is also an extension of Cameron's themes of loss, survival, and the effects of colonization on Pandora. James Cameron, once again, is a pioneer in film technology through this work, using the years he has spent on performance-capture innovation and large-scale digital production to build on.

Nevertheless, the director has also mentioned that he purposely put some visual flaws in the process so that while the technical side of the work is very precise, it would still give off the vibe of naturalness.

Cameron points out that in comparison to conventional filmmaking, digital means provide more command, but at the same time, they can eliminate the spontaneity that sometimes results in unique cinematic creations. While James Cameron continues to be an integral part of the franchise with the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash and the next two sequels planned for 2029 and 2031, respectively, his recent statements indicate otherwise.

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Interested viewers can watch Avatar: Fire and Ash in theatres.

Edited by Sakshi Singh