James Cameron is pressing pause on Pandora, as he takes a break from “Avatar”
The legendary director is shifting gears to develop a new dark fantasy film, The Devils, based on author Joe Abercrombie’s latest novel. Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, has secured the rights to the book, and the filmmaker will co-write the screenplay with Abercrombie himself.
Cameron announced the news on Facebook, saying, “I’ve loved Joe’s writing for years… But the freshness of the world and the characters in The Devils finally got me off my butt to buy one of his books and partner with him to bring it to the screen.”
This marks a rare departure for Cameron, who’s been immersed in the Avatar universe for over a decade. With Avatar: Fire and Ash wrapping up and set to release this December, the timing couldn’t be better for the director to take on a new creative challenge.
The Devils is described as a dark fantasy epic about a special force of monsters tasked with saving Europe from flesh-eating elves. Abercrombie, best known for his grimdark First Law series, praised Cameron’s involvement, saying, “I can’t think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen.”
Cameron is no stranger to crafting bold, visually rich worlds, and The Devils seems to offer the kind of high-stakes storytelling he thrives on. This pivot toward fantasy could add a gritty, genre-defying edge to his already legendary filmography.
As for Avatar, James Cameron isn’t leaving it behind completely. He revealed in an interview with Empire that Fire and Ash will be even longer than The Way of Water, which already ran a hefty three hours and 12 minutes.
“We had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2,” he said. “The film was moving like a bullet train… So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’”
Co-writer Amanda Silver backed him up, explaining that Avatar 2 and 3 are separate stories, despite being part of a larger arc. “The characters needed to breathe,” she said. “These movies are a lot more than just propulsive plot and gorgeous spectacle.”
Cameron also said early feedback for the third film has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’ve shown it to a few selected people… It’s definitely the most emotional and maybe the best of the three so far,” he told Stuff.
Still, it’s clear he’s itching to flex different creative muscles. With The Devils, Cameron is stepping into darker, bloodier territory, and fans of fantasy and film alike should be excited.
Whether you’re here for the elves or the aliens, James Cameron isn’t slowing down.
- James Cameron Is Taking a Break From ‘Avatar’ - June 5, 2025
- Ridley Scott Bows Out Of ‘Alien’ Franchise After Years Of Reinvention - June 5, 2025
- Ariana Biermann Gets Real About Kroy Amid Divorce Drama - June 5, 2025
