Recent box office news has been dominated by one inevitable name: James Cameron. Cameron has been in a tug of war with himself not only in weekly box office returns but also for the highest grossing films of all time. With Avatar: The Way of Water still bringing in consistent returns and the re-release of Titanic performing at a similar level, Cameron has nothing left to prove for his ability to captivate global audiences and generate massive commercial successes whether he is working inside or outside of Pandora. 

Cameron has worked solely on the Avatar franchise since the turn of the century with over 20 years devoted to storytelling in Pandora with over $5 billion between the two entries in worldwide gross. At that level, it would be easy to anticipate that he would continue work on the franchise for the rest of his career. He has even responded to questions about the final act of his career by stating “I can tell most of the stories I want” within Pandora and would be okay if he doesn’t make more non- ‘Avatar’ films. 

With a proven track record that any story he wants to tell will make money, Cameron has the freedom to explore other projects and stories should he choose to, and he is supposedly eyeing a step outside of Avatar after the next sequel Avatar 3 set for release in December 2024. Instead of directing Avatar 4 or Avatar 5, Cameron is considering an adaptation of Charles R. Pellegrino’s The Last Train From Hiroshima about survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in WWII. “We live in a more precarious world than we thought we did,” Cameron told the LA Times. “I think the Hiroshima film would be as timely as ever, if not more so. It reminds people that these weapons really do when they’re used against human targets.” Cameron first optioned the book for adaptation in 2010. Although the Avatar mega project has consumed the filmmaker for the entirety of the 21st century, this could be the next challenge he takes on after the third trip to Pandora. 

Source: The Playlist