If there’s one lesson we have realized over the course of the final 40-odd years of cinema, it is to by no means wager in opposition to James Cameron. There have been bets in opposition to him when the maverick filmmaker took on the “Titanic,” and once more when he insisted on constructing the imaginative and luxurious alien world of “Avatar” a decade later. In each cases, Cameron’s ventures not solely succeeded, however made him a king of Hollywood cinema.
“Avatar” is at present two films deep right into a deliberate five-movie saga, however now it appears to be like like Cameron shall be taking a detour after “Avatar: Hearth and Ash.” Because the filmmaker himself introduced in a press launch through his Fb web page right now, Cameron’s firm, Lightstorm Leisure, has acquired the rights to writer Joe Abercrombie’s newest novel, “The Devils.” That novel was actually simply printed on Could 13, however it’s already constructed up fairly a little bit of buzz, even leaving Cameron’s curiosity apart. Abercrombie is among the hottest fantasy novelists working right now, together with his “First Legislation” and “Age of Insanity” novels changing into bestsellers. Cameron describes “The Devils” in his personal phrases as a “sharply witty horror journey” and an “epic battle between good and evil besides more often than not you’ll be able to’t inform which is which,” claiming that the novel is Abercrombie “in absolute peak kind.”
It is clear that each Abercrombie followers and Cameron are tremendous enthusiastic about “The Devils,” which appears like a horror-fantasy mashup story within the vein of “Constantine,” Clive Barker, or this yr’s “Within the Misplaced Lands.” For his half, Cameron states that he’ll be co-writing the script for a movie model with Abercrombie, and naturally this movie shall be produced by Lightstorm. The query on our minds now, in fact, is similar one which the press launch goes out of its strategy to not reply: will Cameron direct the film adaptation of “The Devils,” and if that’s the case, what does that imply for “Avatar 4”?
Might Cameron direct The Devils as a substitute of Avatar 4?
Let’s be clear and say that we are able to solely speculate about who would possibly or may not be directing what future movies to return from Lightstorm Leisure. All we all know for certain is that Cameron goes to be co-writing “The Devils” with Abercrombie. As he explains within the press launch:
“I am trying ahead to the writing course of with him, although I am sure this adaptation will virtually write itself as a result of Joe writes very visually, virtually in scenes, and with a really cinematic construction. I can not wait to dig into this as I wind down on ‘Avatar: Hearth and Ash.’ It is going to be a joyful new problem for me to convey these indelible characters to life.”
Going by that assertion alone, it might be straightforward to deduce that Cameron shall be a co-screenwriter on “The Devils” solely, working similarly to 2019’s “Alita: Battle Angel,” a movie which he co-wrote and was directed by Robert Rodriguez. This assumption turns into trickier, nevertheless, when you consider a press release Cameron made throughout an interview with Empire in 2022, the place he states that he could not really feel compelled to helm the remaining “Avatar” adventures:
“The ‘Avatar’ movies themselves are form of all-consuming. I’ve acquired another issues I am creating as effectively which are thrilling. I believe ultimately over time — I do not know if that is after three or after 4 — I will wish to cross the baton to a director that I belief to take over, so I can go do another stuff that I am additionally taken with. Or perhaps not. I do not know.”
At the moment Cameron was nonetheless undecided about leaving Pandora behind and passing the torch to a different filmmaker. Maybe his apparent infatuation with “The Devils” has lastly pushed him to resolve to complete his time with “Avatar” after “Hearth and Ash.” That stated, the fourth “Avatar” is slated for launch in 2029, a full 4 years sooner or later (the higher to offer the VFX groups time to develop the tech they want), which could give him time to squeeze in “The Devils.” (What about “Ghosts of Hiroshima?”)
So, whereas the discharge of each “The Devils” and the ultimate two “Avatar” films are just about a given, they have a case of Schrödinger’s director’s chair proper now. It will appear impossible that Cameron will direct all of them, however then once more…we have to remind ourselves to not wager in opposition to Huge Jim.
