When “Avatar” landed in 2009, it wasn’t long until James Cameron‘s movie was accused of borrowing, if not ripping off entirely, elements from no shortage of pop culture ephemera including books, short stories, and even paintings. However, it was other movies that many saw Cameron lifting elements from, including “Dances With Wolves,” “Pocahontas,” “Dune,” and more, with better arguments for some than others. $3 billion later, and with four sequels on the horizon, it wouldn’t be outrageous to suggest other studios might be feeling a bit jealous about the success of Cameron’s movie. However, according to the director, the industry has been taking it a step further.
“I think it has spawned a lot of imitators. I see bits of ‘Avatar’ DNA in other films, in terms of design motifs and so on. It definitely showed people what’s possible in terms of using CG. I think it’s consistent to itself. Right now I think the legacy is that people just want to see more of it,” Cameron told Vulture.
It remains to bear out whether or not moviegoers really want five more movies about the world of Pandora. However, the director is confident the franchise will continue to find a big audience.
“It wouldn’t have any relevance if it wasn’t a refraction through a lens of fantasy or science fiction of the things that are going on in our world, whether it’s the struggle if you look at this Standing Rock confrontation between Native Americans and the authorities that’s going on right now, that’s just an example of the kind of things that ‘Avatar’ is about, metaphorically,” Cameron explained. “It’s going on throughout Central and South America. Indigenous people confronting big hydroelectric dam projects or confront oil companies, that sort of thing. It’s the world we live in. It’s also about our relationship with technology and how we’re a much more urbanized society then we used to be. We’re far, far down through the looking glass of our own technology now, and I think part of us is yearning for that reconnection to nature, and that’s what the ‘Avatar’ films will remind us of.”
” ‘Avatar’ was made for everybody from 8 to 80. It doesn’t really have a target audience, and I think that’s what really made the better part of $3 billion, because it appeals very broadly,” he added. “I’d say it’s for anybody with an imagination.”
Barring any further delays involving Cameron’s imagination, “Avatar 2” will open in 2018.