James Cameron has spent the last 20 years devoted almost exclusively to the “Avatar” franchise a choice he says is about more than just box office success. Speaking to Rolling Stone, the filmmaker explained that he has justified this career focus by believing the films can have a positive impact on audiences.
I’ve justified making ‘Avatar’ movies to myself for the last 20 years, not based on how much money we made, but on the basis that hopefully it can do some good. It can help connect us. It can help connect us to our lost aspect of ourselves that connects with nature and respects nature and all those things.
Cameron said.
Do I think that movies are the answer to our human problems? No, I think they’re limited because people sometimes just want entertainment and they don’t want to be challenged in that way. he continued. I think ‘Avatar’ is a Trojan horse strategy that gets you into a piece of entertainment, but then works on your brain and your heart a little bit in a way.
Cameron acknowledged that films alone cannot solve global issues
The original “Avatar” (2009) remains the highest-grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation) with $2.9 billion worldwide. Its 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, ranks third with $2.3 billion.
While Cameron is developing new projects, including The Devils and Ghosts of Hiroshima, he is not leaving Pandora anytime soon. The director is currently in post-production on Avatar: Fire and Ash, due in theaters Dec. 19, and has expressed interest in helming both Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.
There’s no reason not to. I’m healthy, I’m good to go. I’m not going to rule it out. I mean, I’ve got to make it in a vigorous way, to handle the kind of volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I might not be able to do that… [but] if I can, I’ll just do it.
Cameron said ahead of his 71st birthday.
Cameron’s last non-Avatar film was 1997’s Titanic. While some cinephiles have criticized his decision to remain in one franchise, Cameron told Empire in 2022 that the scope of Avatar allows him to tell a wide range of stories and experiment with various filmmaking styles.
People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did [George] Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did [Gene] Roddenberry keep working in the same thing?. Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”
he said.
Source: Variety