James Cameron has no plans to step away from directing Avatar 4 and 5, but he's not ruling it out: "I might not be able to do that"

Legendary director James Cameron has every intention in the world to helm the next two films in the Avatar franchise, the fourth and fifth. With the series' third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, on the immediate horizon, Cameron is assuring fans he's planning to ride it out till the end. That said, he's also offered the caveat that he might not have the energy to spend years making them.

"I mean, there's no reason not to. I'm healthy, I'm good to go," Cameron tells Empire, before qualifying his answer. "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."

Cameron is 70, and it seems he has no plans to slow down whatsoever, with an Avatar animated anthology series on the way alongside the pair of sequels. Meanwhile, Fire and Ash is being hailed as "pure James Cameron wow." And with both films so far reaching the absolute pinnacle of box office receipts - in the billions - it's incredibly likely that all three of the next films will rake in piles and piles of cash.

But if Cameron does wind up having to step back from directing Avatar 4 or 5, he's already got a model in mind for the kind of relationship he'd like to have with whichever filmmaker might replace him.

"I had a great working relationship – and I'm using this as an example, not as an answer - with Robert Rodriguez on [Battle Angel Alita]," Cameron states, making it clear he's not naming Rodriguez as his potential Avatar successor. "He honoured what I had written. We worked very collaboratively. If I can, I'll just do it."

Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives in theaters on December 19. In the meantime, check out our guide to this year's other biggest upcoming movies.