As part of the promotional campaign for the AMC documentary series on the history of science fiction, James Cameron discussed with journalists the upcoming sequels of Avatar and the sixth Terminator, and at the same time criticized the Avengers and the Marvel films.
The filming of the second and third "Avatars" are now in full swing, and Cameron's plans include the creation of a large-scale family saga. "They are all like the" Godfather ". Of course, this is a different genre and a completely different story, but I was intrigued by the idea of making [a new film] a real family saga that would be very different from the first picture. However, we adhere to similar attitudes and still respect the sense of shock from the encounter with the new, so we want to show you not just what you have never seen before, but also what you could not even imagine" - Cameron said.
"The plot tells about the same characters, although it shows what happens to the soldiers who went on suicide missions and jumped from the rocks when they grow up and have their own children. Now children take responsibility and bring change. It's interesting, the story takes a completely different turn. Everyone is either a parent himself, or at least once his parents. But look at the current big and successful franchises: they are practically not interested in such topics. Therefore, it can lead both to the complete collapse of our project, and to become what will make the new "Avatar" a unique product, standing alone. Everything becomes known only when the film is ready and released in the rental. Anyone who thinks that it's easy to predict, and we're sitting in the studio and just printing money, just do not understand how everything works."
Although before the start of production of the fourth and fifth parts is still far away, the director admitted that the storyline has already been "thought through to the very end, up to the finale of" Avatar 5 ". We have done the overwhelming part of working with the design, and therefore we know how the characters, creatures and locations will look ... I am personally committed to working out all aspects."
In parallel, Cameron is the producer and author of the plot of "Terminator 6", which the director wants to make the most relevant: "All the Terminators" are devoted to artificial intelligence, but now we look at it differently than in 1982 when I wrote the first script. It was a classic variation on "technology is bad, smart computers are also bad." Now it needs to be approached from a more subtle perspective, like "smart computers are bad, BUT ...". This is the new motive. "
As for the state of science fiction in general, the director noted the dominance of superhero franchises and the dominance of a new type of sci-fi tapes: "The market leads us to a science fiction that is either entirely escapist or does not require the participation of a technical consultant. An example of this can serve as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" - it's just an exciting movie, and we do not care how these spaceships work or the like. At the same time, there is a science fiction with a more responsible approach to, in fact, science: for example, "Martian" or "Interstellar". <...> And I hope that soon the audience will get tired of the "Avengers". Not that I did not like such films, just ... oh well, you can also tell a bunch of other stories, not just hypermuscular dudes without families who are in mortal danger for two hours [of screen time] and in the process of destroying whole cities".
Premiers of "Avatar" continuations are scheduled for December 18, 2020, December 17, 2021, December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025, and the sixth "Terminator" is expected to be released on November 22, 2019. Release of the first part of the documentary series "The history of science fiction from James Cameron" will be held on AMC channel on April 30.