James Cameron Got One Directive From Disney's Bob Iger On Avatar: Fire And Ash

When someone's been responsible for three of the biggest box office hits of all time, you'd think it would become easier for them to call the shots on their next project. However, in the case of three-time Oscar-winner James Cameron, he remains open to feedback even after spending more than two decades working on his ultra-successful "Avatar" films. In an interview with Empire to discuss his third movie in the blue-skinned franchise, "Avatar: Fire and Ash," Cameron touched on the upcoming threequel's test audience reactions, and as expected, he seems to have found the perfect balance both on and beneath the shores of Pandora:

"You've got to use the Force to know what they're talking about sometimes. But they can be incredibly articulate about what's working for them, why it's working, and what pushed them over the line. We seem to have hit exactly the right tone in terms of intensity now."

That shouldn't come as a surprise, given that the first two "Avatar" movies have collectively earned over $5 billion at the box office so far. With that said, though, Cameron did encounter some friction from Disney execs after the screenings, which was quickly resolved by the Mouse House's top boss, Bob Iger, who had some advice. "It was actually the funniest one of these post-screening studio meetings I've ever had," Cameron explained. "Because some of the other executives had notes. And Bob would say, 'No, don't worry about that. I didn't feel that,' sweeping the notes aside. But look, it's good to get third-party triangulation. There's a respect there." It's a respect that's well-earned, especially since Iger supported the final product after only seeing a fragment of it.

Back in March, the Disney CEO spoke about having only seen test footage for Cameron's highly anticipated return trip to Pandora, sharing his thoughts on what had been shown so far. "It is absolutely breathtaking," said Iger at Disney's Annual Meeting of Shareholders (via GamesRadar+), and at this point, it's hard to expect anything less from Cameron. The filmmaker has broken ground with just about every movie he's ever directed. And not just in a technical sense, either; Cameron's fictional worlds are as detailed as they are dense in lore and full of fascinating characters. Those of the "Avatar" franchise, in particular, have only grown more complex as the property has continued.

Speaking of which, "Avatar: Ash and Fire" will pick up in the wake of "Avatar: The Way of Water," with Jake Sully's (Sam Worthington) family fractured and battling a mix of grief and rage, especially Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). Indeed, the "Fire and Ash" trailer suggests we're in for a far darker chapter, perhaps even something akin to the "Empire Strikes Back" of Cameron's stunning sci-fi epic. And given what he's already accomplished, it's hard to imagine Cameron still has two more movies in the franchise planned after this. "I mean, there's no reason not to," he reasoned to Empire. "I'm healthy, I'm good to go." Let's just get the next battle between the Pandoran locals and the human space invaders out of the way first. 

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" lands in theaters on December 19, 2025.