There is little doubt that Avatar continues to be one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and its sequels are expected to enjoy the same level of success. However, it looks like James Cameron wasn't sure about working on more films after the 2009 movie. According to the filmmaker, he was worried that the possible sequels would ruin the success of his original film!
It has previously confirmed that James Cameron had always aimed to work on more than just one Avatar movie. Cameron had admitted that he had pitched a multi-picture project to 20th Century Fox and was determined to explore "the bigger story."
Although it was something he had always planned, James Cameron has just admitted to Empire magazine that he had second thoughts after Avatar became a huge hit.
"I had to think long and hard whether I even wanted to make another Avatar film because it was kind of ours to lose," Cameron said. "When you’ve done something that’s been that transcendent in terms of success, do you really want to go try and do that again? There’s a lot of pressure on it."
Interestingly, Cameron's apprehension delayed the development of the sequels for a couple of years. "I thought about it for a good two years before we finally made a deal," he said.
It certainly took a long time but the Avatar sequels are definitely coming. Avatar: The Way of Water is coming to theaters this year and production on the next sequel is already done. There will be two more sequels in development in the next few years, depending on the success of the first two.
Avatar: The Way of Water will bring back Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Matt Gerald. Sigourney Weaver returns in a different role on December 16, 2022.
Related: James Cameron Compares Avatar Sequels to Lord of the Rings