Avatar 6 and 7: James Cameron speaks out on plans for even more sequels

Back in 2009, James Cameron delivered his motion-capture epic Avatar, which went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time with over $2.9 billion made worldwide.

It took 13 years, but the first of four planned sequels arrived with Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022, becoming the third biggest film ever with over $2.3 billion taken at the global box office.

Now Avatar 3 is set to arrive in cinemas in 2025, followed by Avatar 4 and 5 in 2029 and 2031 respectively.

But that’s far from the end of the road, with the acclaimed filmmaker announcing he has plans for Avatar 6 and 7 and beyond.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Cameron shared: “We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point.

“I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”

It turns out he’s hoping the franchise becomes akin to Star Trek and Star Wars, which have been on-going for decades.

Cameron added: “People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did [Star Wars creator George] Lucas keep working in the same thing?

“Why did [Star Trek creator Gene] Roddenberry keep working in the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”