James Cameron has become most well-known for hisAvatarfranchise, as it has been the director’s main focus since the first film was released in 2009. However, his upcoming movie plans that aren’t related to the series are much more exciting than his three remainingAvatarsequels. The future seems to be filled withAvatarwhen it comes toJames Cameron’s filmography, as the director has three more films in the franchise scheduled through 2031. In between these, however, James Cameron will be working on two other films, meaning thatAvatarisn’t his sole focus anymore.
Avatarhad always been a passion project for James Cameron, with him having had the idea long before the technology to pull the story off actually existed. Cameron’s love for the franchise and the massive box office success of 2009’sAvatarled to the franchise being greatly expanded.James Cameron conceived an epic five-movie Avatar saga, with the second film not being released until 2022. Despite this massive time gap,Avatar: The Way of Waterproved to be a box office hitas well, raising hopes for the next three films. However, some James Cameron fans would rather see him move beyondAvatar.
James Cameron Has Two Non-Avatar Movies In Development Now
The Last Train From Hiroshima & The Devils
As it turns out, James Cameron now has two movies in development that are not part of theAvatarfranchise. Despite mainly focusing onAvatarfor the past few years, he has managed to do a bit of work on projects in betweenAvatarfilms. Cameron co-wroteAlita: Battle Angeland has started working on the sequel,and he also co-wrote and producedTerminator: Dark Fate. Now, it has been revealed that James Cameron has two other projects that he is developing, with both of them being likely to be released sometime afterAvatar 5.
The first of these projects isJames Cameron’sLast Train from Hiroshima. The film is based on Charles Pellegrino’s booksThe Last Train from Hiroshima, which Cameron optioned in 2010, andGhosts of Hiroshima. Cameron’s film will tell the story of a Japanese man who survived the American atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, with him then boarding a train to Nagasaki and surviving the atomic bomb that was dropped there as well. Very few details have been provided about the project, such as if James Cameron plans on directing it or when it will be released.
The second project was announced in 2025, withJames Cameron set to adaptThe Devils, the 2025 fantasy book from author Joe Abercrombie. The film is set in a world where flesh-eating elves are invading Europe, leading to a team of monsters, murderers, and magicians, being brought together to take on the fantastical force. In Cameron’s statement, he states that he is excited to start working onThe Devilsafter finishing work onAvatar: Fire & Ash, meaning that the film could potentially come out beforeAvatar 4orAvatar 5. Here are his full comments:
Avatar’s 3 Upcoming Sequels Could Be Great, But They’re Limiting James Cameron
I’m a hugeAvatarfan, and I am undoubtedly excited to see the next three sequels. However, I am also a James Cameron fan. Thus, I am a bit disappointed at how much of Cameron’s time theAvatarfilms have consumed. TheAvatarmovies take an incredibly long time to make, as was proven by the13-year gap betweenAvatarandAvatar: The Way of Water. At a minimum, Cameron will be working on the sequels until 2031, and I am not confident in the fact that the remainingAvatarsequels won’t be delayed again.
James Cameron hasn’t directed a non-Avatarfilm since 1997’sTitanic, with there being a 12-year gap between it and his next film, 2009’sAvatar. James Cameron previously made all kinds of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, such asThe Terminatorfranchise,Aliens,The Abyss, andTrue Lies. Now that Cameron is so focused on big-budget spectacles, his output is far lower. While I prefer quality over quantity,I wish that James Cameron was able to spread his wings a bit more rather than spending three decades working onAvatarmovies.
The Devils & The Last Train From Hiroshima Are A Return To James Cameron’s Pre-Avatar Career
They Are Stand-Alone Movies In Different Genres
Luckily, the announcements ofThe DevilsandThe Last Train From Hiroshimaare a sign that James Cameron may be returning to his previous career path. If Cameron takes breaks betweenAvatarmovies and these projects, he will have a more diverse filmography, fixing his focus onAvatarsinceTitanicwas released in 1997. Although Cameron has always worked on franchises,he has also taken big swings with stand-alone movies, and these two projects will be a return to that.
These films also will allow James Cameron to return to one of his best traits: genre-hopping.The Terminator,Titanic, andThe Abyssare all great, but they as well as most of Cameron’s other films exist as part of very different genres. With these two films, Cameron will be able to work on a fantasy film and a historical epic, while still working onthe sci-fiAvatarmovies.The Last Train From Hiroshimafeels a lot likeTitanic, whileThe Devilsfeels more like an action-focusedThe Terminatormovie, meaning that Cameron will have something to offer for fans of each of these genres.
I Really Hope James Cameron Goes On To Direct The Devils & The Last Train From Hiroshima
Since He Is Just Developing Them For Now
As of the writing of this article, the extent of James Cameron’s involvement in these two projects isn’t known. All that is known is that he is currently writing the scripts and developing the films. However,his main focus is stillAvatar, meaning that it is unknown if he will direct these two adaptations.
Although it hasn’t been announced yet, I really hope he does direct these films. If he just hands off the scripts to another director, I will be a bit disappointed, as he clearly has a lot of passion for both of these projects. While I loveAvatar, it would be a shame for him to only makeAvatarmovies from the turn of the century until the 2030s. Both of these projects are the perfect opportunity for him to take a step away from the world of Pandora, giving James Cameron a break fromAvatar.
