Two-Time Billion-Dollar Hitmaker Eyes Avatar 4 Director’s Chair
Two-time billion-dollar hitmaker James Wan says he’s ready to pilot Avatar 4 if James Cameron steps away — and with the next installment dated and early scenes already shot, Pandora may already have its backup director waiting in the wings.
File this under directors shooting their shot: James Wan says he would love to step in for Avatar 4 if James Cameron decides to pass the baton. And given where the franchise is on its timeline, that is not an entirely hypothetical thought experiment.
What Wan actually said
While promoting The Copenhagen Test, Wan told ScreenRant that Avatar is one of the few giant franchises he has not touched and, if Cameron walks away, he wants in.
"I have not done Avatar. Yeah, if you could put a good one for me with James Cameron, I’d love to take a crack at that."
Where Cameron is at right now
Cameron has mapped out Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, but he has openly floated the idea of stepping aside at some point. He has also said he is interested in other projects, including a new Terminator movie. He has already shot scenes for Avatar 4, but he has not committed to directing that installment.
The box office context
This is not a small car we are talking about handing the keys to. Under Cameron, Avatar has been a license to print money: the first movie made $2.923 billion worldwide, the second did $2.343 billion, and Avatar: Fire and Ash has been in theaters for two weeks and is already closing in on the $1 billion mark globally.
So when would this even happen?
Disney currently has Avatar 4 dated for December 21, 2029, with Avatar 5 set for December 19, 2031. Early scenes for Avatar 4 are in the can already. If Cameron chooses to pivot to another project, it sounds like there is at least one proven blockbuster guy ready to slide in.
Why Wan makes sense on paper
- He has directed or produced across Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Fast & Furious, and Aquaman.
- The Conjuring universe has grossed $2.8 billion worldwide, making it the top-earning horror franchise ever.
- Aquaman and Furious 7 both cleared $1 billion globally.
- On the producing side, he has Mortal Kombat II, Insidious: The Bleeding World, and a new Paranormal Activity on deck.
The read
Wan tossing his name in the ring is both bold and kind of logical. He has experience wrangling giant IP and wringing money out of it, and he is one of the few mainstream directors who can bounce between horror, superheroes, and mega-franchise action without flinching. Whether Cameron actually hands off the main job for 4 is the big question, but if he does, Wan is clearly volunteering.
For those keeping score: this interest from Wan surfaced in that ScreenRant chat, and it was first highlighted by Anubhav Chaudhry at SuperHeroHype.