James Cameron leaves fans divided as he admits he already has ideas for 'Avatar' 6th and 7th installments

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: James Cameron has set his sights on expanding the 'Avatar' franchise even further despite the third installment still awaiting theatrical release.

At the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 4, the 69-year-old director spoke to People about the sequels of the epic sci-fi saga and his involvement.

James Cameron reveals 'Avatar' franchise is 'fully written through five'

Sharing his insights into the ambitious plans for the sequels, Cameron said, "We're fully written through movie five, and I've got ideas for six and seven, although I'll probably be handing the baton on at that point."

"I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people," said Cameron who was honored with four awards at the ceremony.

James Cameron shared 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' were his inspirations

The 'Titanic' director further expressed his desire for 'Avatar' to become a franchise like 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek.'

"'Star Trek', 'Star Wars', the world-building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations," said Cameron.

"And as I was saying out there, we're still a young universe. We're only two movies in, we're halfway through our third right now, To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it,” he added.

James Cameron says the success of 'Avatar' proves that 'people are innately empathetic'

'Avatar's third movie is slated to hit theaters in 2025, followed by 'Avatar 4' in 2029 and 'Avatar 5' in 2031.

"People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did Roddenberry keep working in the same thing?", said Cameron.

"Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?” he continued.

The screenwriter further talked about the success of the Avatar films, as the first two films currently hold the spots as the No 1 and No 3 highest-grossing movies of all time, proving that "people are innately empathetic."

"They innately want a connection to each other. They innately want beauty. And so many science fiction films are dystopian," he added.

Internet says 'Avatar' films take 'too long to release films'

Netizens have a mixed reaction to Cameron's revealing of plans for 'Avatar 6' and 'Avatar 7' as 'Avatar 2' already took 13 years between the first movie 'Avatar' which debuted in 2009.

"6 and 7??? Ain’t we only on 2?" a user wrote on X (formerly Twitter) while someone wrote, "Taking too long to release films, you lost me."

"I'd be a lot more excited if not for the fact that I'll probably be long dead given the eternal delays in releasing these films," quipped another user.

However, fans also expressed their excitement for the expansion of the franchise as one user tweeted, Wow, that's exciting news! I can't believe James Cameron already has plans for 'Avatar 6' and 'Avatar 7'."

"The 'Avatar' series has captivated audiences It's always thrilling to see a filmmaker's creativity and passion unfold on the big screen," the user added.

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