James Cameron has hit back at claims that he has “wasted” his life on the long-running Avatar series.
READ MORE: Avatar: Fire And Ash review: James Cameron’s sci-fi epic is running out of steam
The third film in the Canadian director’s sci-fi franchise arrives in cinemas tomorrow (Friday December 19), following on from 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s Avatar: The Way Of Water. A further two instalments are scheduled for 2029 and 2031, respectively.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron was asked about a recent trending topic on Reddit, which read: “Anyone else feel like it’s an unfortunate waste of talent that James Cameron will waste 35+ years on Avatar?”
The post noted that Cameron started making Avatar in 1994, with the final film still six years away. “I have to wonder what other kind of movies he could have made during that time,” it added.
“I guess that’s what he wants to make though. Wonder why he wanted to make 5 Avatar movies though. Seems overkill.”
In response to the online debate, Cameron explained: “I’m feeling fulfilled as an artist, and when [those critical fans] become filmmakers, they can make those types of decisions for themselves – or just stay the fuck out of it.
“It’s my decision, not yours. It’s like saying, ‘Gee, I wish she wasn’t married to the same guy for so long’. It’s none of your business.”
However, the filmmaker did admit that he was ready to move on from the world of Avatar with some new projects. “I’ve got other stories to tell, and I’ve got other stories to tell within Avatar,” he said.
“What won’t happen is, I won’t go down the rabbit hole of exclusively making only Avatar for multiple years.”
Cameron went on: “I’m going to figure out another way that involves more collaboration. I’m not saying I’m going to step away as a director, but I’m going to pull back from being as hands-on with every tiny aspect of the process.”
Despite the fourth Avatar film already being in production, Cameron suggested last month that Fire And Ash could be his final entry in the series.
‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’. CREDIT: 20th Century Studios/Disney
“If this is where it ends, cool,” he continued. “There’s one open thread, I’ll write a book. I don’t think there’d ever be a version where there’s another Avatar movie that I didn’t produce closely. But in terms of it taking over my life, that’s a threshold issue for me.”
Cameron said he would “absolutely” be OK with leaving the franchise behind if he had to.
In a three-star review of Avatar: Fire And Ash, NME argued that “Cameron’s sci-fi epic is running out of steam”.
It concluded: “The clarity, dynamism and sheer scale of the action is near enough unparalleled, and it’s hard to argue you don’t get your money’s worth. Still, Cameron is going to have to think outside the (Pandora’s) box and change the game for any future instalments.”
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