Thought Another Four 'Avatar' Films Is Enough? James Cameron Has Bigger Plans — and Disney's Listening
Cameron’s vision now stretches far beyond the big screen.
Not long ago, I wrote about how the trailer for Avatar 3 confirmed what I already suspected after watching the second film — it’s visually stunning, but narratively thin and overly familiar. Having quietly reframed the entire franchise (post-part one) as a kind of lush fanfiction for its own characters, I didn’t expect to find myself intrigued by any new developments.
But then I came across this.
As it turns out, director James Cameron isn’t done building Pandora. In a recent interview with Empire magazine, he revealed that he’s spoken with Disney about expanding the Avatar universe into animation.
His idea? An anthology series. Set in the world of Avatar, but focused on unexpected corners of it.
"I want to do an animated anthology series that’s essentially in the world," Cameron said, "but stories that you wouldn’t have expected from that world."
For inspiration, Cameron pointed to The Animatrix, the short film collection that expanded the Matrix universe in bold and unconventional directions. That seems to be his goal too — broadening the mythos without being bound to the main storyline.
At this stage, things are still in early development.
"We haven’t done much with that yet," he admitted. "We’re still gathering our stories… I’ve got to find the boutique filmmakers, the animators, that want to do it."
I paused at "boutique filmmakers." Not big names, not CGI machines — sounds like Cameron’s after something more personal, maybe even weirder. And I like that.
And while Avatar: The Way of Water left me wondering whether the franchise still had new things to say, Cameron’s animated detour could bring something the sequels have lacked: surprise.
