James Cameron Addresses Avatar Characters and Box Office Needs

Avatar: The Way of Water is right around the corner from its long-awaited theatrical release, after nearly a decade of waiting between the first and second chapters of a rather expansive story by filmmaker James Cameron.

While the first film ended on a (primarily) positive note for most of the film’s central and surviving characters, there is obviously conflict on the horizon in order for there to be anywhere from three to five installments mapped out. Even though the trailers have presented some immersive and elaborate visuals worthy of gaining our trust, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about where the world of Avatar plans to take things next.

During an interview with GQ about his career and his Avatar vision, Cameron made sure to state that the idea of family is a staple for the franchise moving forward by explaining, “What do two characters who are warriors, who take chances and have no fear, do when they have children, and they still have the epic struggle? Their instinct is to be fearless and do crazy things. Jump off cliffs, dive-bomb into the middle of an enemy armada, but you’ve got kids.” The director, father, and husband appropriately suggest regarding his upcoming follow-up film before finalizing his aspirations and teasing, “What does that look like in a family setting?”

A High Stakes Need to Succeed for the Future of the Franchise

In the same profile, Cameron does candidly admit that there’s a lot of pressure to keep this machine working too, calling it “very f***ing” expensive to create,” and he also notes that the highly-anticipated Avatar sequel “was the worst business case in movie history.” due to its unavoidable need for a very high-profit margin. The Avatar mastermind goes on to then clarify, “You have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history,” and pointedly states, “that’s your threshold. That’s your break even.”

As someone who required a lot of time to come around, I’m fascinated to see how the filmmaker will expand his lore and if it will connect the same way it did in 2009.

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16, 2022. Will you be watching?