James Cameron Reveals Avatar 2 & 3 Were One Movie Before Split

James Cameron, the director renowned for his ambitious filmmaking, disclosed that the upcoming James Cameron Avatar sequels, Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire & Ash, were initially conceived as a single expansive film. Speaking on the CrewCall podcast, Cameron shared that the scale of the project was overwhelming, leading to the decision to divide what was originally one movie into two parts.

This December’s Avatar: Fire & Ash follows the release of 2022’s The Way of Water, both continuing the saga set on the alien world of Pandora. Cameron’s goal was to deliver a complete story arc, a goal complicated by the scope of the plot he aimed to tell.

The Story Arc of the Sully Family Across Two Films

Cameron revealed that the two films now serve to conclude a single story arc focused on the Sully family, the central characters introduced in the first Avatar film. He explained,

“Two and three used to be one movie,”

James Cameron said.

“We just tried to pack it all into one movie. It never worked. So I unzipped it into two separate films. So really they complete a story arc.”

The Sully family’s journey, involving Jake and Neytiri, has remained the narrative’s core since the original 2009 release. Cameron added,

“The end of three brings you to the end of a story arc for the Sully family,”

and pointed out that a fresh storyline will begin with the hypothetical fourth and fifth films:

“A whole new arc starts in four and five.”

Ensuring a Satisfying Conclusion in Avatar: Fire & Ash

James Cameron is known for structuring his films to maintain tension and anticipation, often ending his movies with cliffhangers. However, he assured fans that Fire & Ash will not leave audiences feeling shortchanged or frustrated by an unresolved ending. He stated,

“The one thing I can promise with this film is there’s a real sense of culmination. It’s not just a cliffhanger, you know, with a kind of bleeding stump of a movie. It’s not Han Solo in Carbonite, you know what I mean? And you’ve got to tune back in. If I do get to make 4 and 5, that becomes one new kind of epic story.”

Future Installments Will Expand Beyond Pandora

If the fourth and fifth Avatar films come to fruition, Cameron intends to broaden the scope beyond the moon Pandora itself. He confirmed that viewers will finally see Earth and its devastated state as a result of humanity’s destructive tendencies. Reflecting on the premise of the later films, he said,

“I did want to see what is the consequence of us running rampant on this beautiful planet that we’re on right now. What does the consequence of that look like 200 years out? And it’s not pretty.”

This glimpse of a future marred by environmental collapse adds a new layer of thematic weight to the series, contrasting with the lush ecosystem of Pandora seen in previous films.

Practical Considerations Led to Early Filming of Avatar 4 Scenes

To manage practical challenges, Cameron’s team has already filmed portions of the fourth Avatar movie. Because the young actors playing the Sully children would age beyond their characters’ timeline, and due to a significant time jump in the narrative’s early moments, the crew filmed early scenes to maintain continuity. Cameron explained,

“We shot a small portion of four because our kids would have aged out of their characters. And then there was a big time jump in the first act of movie four. So we shot that sort of defensively.”

Splitting the Films Was Essential to Storytelling

After nearly 20 years building Pandora and crafting the sequel stories, Cameron recognized that the original idea of one massive follow-up was unsustainable. The split into two films, he said, was not a compromise but a necessary step to tell the story properly and clearly separate one saga from the next. He stated,

“Two and three complete the Sully story. Four and five, if I get to make them, become their own epic story. That was always the plan once I realized it couldn’t all fit in one movie.”

What Fans Can Expect This December

With Avatar: Fire & Ash set for release this December, audiences will soon witness the conclusion of the Sully family narrative as crafted by Cameron. Whether the momentum the franchise has built will carry it successfully into its envisioned expansion to Earth and beyond remains to be seen. This installment promises to deliver a complete story while setting the stage for bold new chapters that could redefine the series’ future.