Fire and Ash Could Be James Cameron’s Final Avatar Film

By this point, no one in Hollywood would bet against James Cameron. For decades, Cameron has raised eyebrows by racking up enormous budgets for weird ideas like “a gigantic sequel to a grimy movie about a killer robot from the future” or “Fern Gully but in 3D.” And each and every time, Cameron is proven right, turning out movies that thrill critics and make tons of money at the box office. But there is one person who is showing doubt in James Cameron: James Cameron himself.

“I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money,” Cameron said of Avatar: Fire and Ash in an interview with The Town (via Inverse). “The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?” And if it does not reach that level of profit, Cameron admitted that he’s “absolutely” prepared to walk away from the franchise.

That’s a shocking admission from a guy known for his force of will. It’s not just that Cameron projects garner huge price tags. It’s also that he does things that Hollywood common sense considers crazy. That’s how he made Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Titanic into such spectacles, and it’s why he put an Avatar sequel into theaters 13 years after the first one.

Even now, before Fire and Ash has even hit theaters, Cameron has two more movies in production, one slated to release in 2029 and the other in 2031. Those are big plans for a 71-year-old.

But Cameron is right to say that Hollywood budgets are massive, and Disney—which acquired the Avatar franchise when they bought 20th Century Fox—certainly has expectations that blockbusters turn a profit. As Cameron so colorfully put it on The Town, Fire and Ash cost “one metric fuck ton of money, which means we have to make two metric fuck tons of money to make a profit.”

As admirable and rare as Cameron’s introspection is, one has to wonder if he really needs to worry. After all, both of the previous Avatar films did indeed make several two metric fuck tons of money. The 2009 film is the highest-grossing movie of all time, and The Way of Water is the third highest grossing movie all time, with Avengers: Endgame tucked between. Given the excitement already building around Fire and Ash, it’s hard to believe that the third entry won’t continue the trend.

For his part, Cameron isn’t waiting to find out. If Fire and Ash proves to be the final outing for Jake Sully and his family of Na’vi, fans won’t be left hanging. In addition to assuring viewers that most major plot points will be revolved, Cameron has a plan for dealing with any remaining questions. “There is one open thread,” not resolved in Fire and Ash,” he explained, “and if [the story] ends there theatrically, I’ll write a book.”

And so, in classic James Cameron fashion, even when he doubts himself, James Cameron still has a plan to bet on himself.

Avatar: Fire and Ash releases December 19, 2025.