Avatar 3, 4 & 5 Have Already Avoided James Cameron’s Worst Sequel Mistake

The sequels to Avatar might have already avoided the mistakes made in James Cameron’s other sequels. Cameron is notorious for directing sequels in pre-existing film franchises that stand out among the other films, most notably with Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which are considered two of the better films in their respective film series’ thanks to Cameron’s genre-bending style and experimentation with fresh techniques. James Cameron is set to helm four Avatar sequels, with Avatar: The Way of Water releasing on December 16, 2022.

After its 2009 release, Avatar was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with the film going on to become not only the highest-grossing film of that year but, to this day, it remains the most profitable film of all time. Cameron utilized groundbreaking new technologies in motion capture and CGI to create the visually stunning world of Pandora, with the film telling the story of Sam Worthington’s ex-marine Jake Sully, who becomes engrossed in the culture of the indigenous race known as the Na’vi. Even though the demand for Avatar has dipped over the last 13 years, there’s a huge amount of hype for the sequels, with Cameron’s innovation and relevance expected to carry on through all four upcoming films.

James Cameron’s success with previous sequels in already established franchises suggests that the upcoming sequels to Avatar will probably fare just as well as, if not better than, the original, especially since Cameron himself is directing them. In the past, Cameron’s sequels have been so strong that later films appear to have a sudden drop in quality, and as a result, the franchise suffers. This is most prominent in films such as Alien 3 and the twist-filled Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which had to immediately follow Cameron’s trailblazing sequels and crumbled under the pressure. While there is potential for this to happen to the Avatar sequels, this franchise has an advantage over others as Cameron himself will have full control over the projects.

Avatar 2’s Success Will Determine If James Cameron’s Gamble Paid Off

Avatar: The Way of Water will investigate the oceans of Pandora, with the now Na’vi Sully, Zoe Saldana’s indigenous Neytiri, and their family meeting new clans, dealing with another human threat, and exploring more settings across the vibrant moon. The fact that James Cameron and his crew built an entire world, with Avatar showing audiences only a small part of it, means that there should be enough substance for gripping stories to be told through each of the four sequels. Even though the audience’s attention might have waned over the years, there’s no doubt that people will turn out for the sequels to Avatar, which are set to release every two years until 2028.

However, despite the fact that Cameron has succeeded in the past with franchise sequels, there’s speculation about whether the Avatar sequels will actually live up to the original. In 2009, the release of Avatar inspired audiences around the world with its imagery and storytelling ability, but since then, computer graphics have come a long way, and more and more films are demonstrating the outstanding use of CGI, so the upcoming sequels to Avatar might not bring the same sense of awe. The four Avatar sequels have been filming back-to-back, with the first set to be released in December 2022, so the success of Avatar: The Way of Water will determine whether Cameron’s gamble on himself will actually pay off and what to expect from the remaining films.