With Avatar: Fire and Ash crossing $1B and moving up the box office all-time charts, it’s inevitable that Disney will greenlight a fourth film. But will James Cameron return to direct it? He’s teased passing the reins to another director so he can focus on other projects, such as Last Train from Hiroshima or a new Terminator. If he did that, who would take over? Well, James Wan would like to throw his hat in the ring.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Wan, who built multiple blockbuster horror franchises with Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring, said he wants a shot at Avatar 4…
“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.”
Wan hasn’t directed a movie since Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which was a disaster on multiple levels. It’s understandable that he’d want a break after that one. Avatar doesn’t seem like a natural fit, but if Wan has proven anything it’s that he can direct different genres quite effectively. We forget how good the first Aquaman movie was, and his work on Furious 7 earned a franchise-high $1.5B.
We’ll see what happens. It’s tough to believe Cameron would completely walk away from Avatar. Even if he doesn’t direct, he will still be very involved in every creative aspect. Wan may or may not be open to that kind of arrangement.
