James Cameron isn't sure about more 'Avatar' movies – 'I feel done'

What role did Spider play in 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'?

Will James Cameron continue the 'Avatar' series?

What is the projected box office for 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'?

What was the academic background of the Brown University shooter?

Spoiler alert! We're discussing major details about the ending of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (in theaters now). Stop reading now if you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to know.

His web connects them all.

Going into “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” we wouldn’t have expected for the story to revolve so prominently around Spider (Jack Champion), a potty-mouthed human teenager with an affinity for loincloths and blond dreadlocks. Surprisingly, the spunky wannabe warrior becomes the most consequential character in the third and possibly final movie of the blockbuster sci-fi franchise, whose previous two installments netted roughly $5 billion worldwide.

Unlike his sage alien love interest, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), or protective father figure, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Spider doesn’t have special gifts or leadership qualities.

“He's not our most fantastic character, but Spider's the glue,” filmmaker James Cameron says. “All of the plot lines intersect through him.”

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How does ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ end?

In the film’s third act, Jake unites various Na’vi alien clans to fight the Sky People, aka the armed forces from Earth who have come to colonize the planet of Pandora. Through the power of Eywa – the divine force of Pandora – Kiri and Spider help summon colossal ocean creatures that aid the Na’vi in winning the battle against the humans.

Ronal (Kate Winslet), a leader of a Na’vi water tribe, is injured in combat and dies – but only after she gives birth to an infant, whom Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) vows to raise. Spider also faces off with his villainous biological father, Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who jumps into a fiery chasm and meets an uncertain fate.

Having staved off their human enemies for now, Kiri and Spider venture into the spirit world, where they commune with ancestors including her mother, scientist Grace Augustine (also played by Weaver). After being ostracized and underestimated by the aliens for so long, Spider is finally welcomed into the Na’vi family, and the movie abruptly cuts to black.

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Will there be an ‘Avatar 4?’

“Fire and Ash” ends with more questions than answers, as it repeats many of the same story beats as 2009’s “Avatar” and 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” With no major character deaths such as Jake or Neytiri, the film leaves the door open for most everyone to return, should the cast be up for more.

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For years, Cameron has insisted that “Avatar” is a five-movie series, with two additional sequels tentatively dated for 2029 and 2031. But the future of the franchise has recently come into question as Cameron has turned to other projects such as Billie Eilish’s forthcoming concert filmand a potential adaptation of Charles Pellegrino’s nonfiction book “Ghosts of Hiroshima.”

“Let’s do another interview in a year and then I’ll tell you what my plans are,” Cameron, 71, says with a grin. For now, he’s still catching his breath.

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The “Terminator” mastermind completed the scripts for “Way of Water” and “Fire and Ash” in 2015 and started filming both movies simultaneously in 2017.

“For me, it’s been a 10-year cycle, and this is the culmination of a single story arc,” Cameron says. “So I feel done. I mean, I could stop now or I could continue in the ‘Avatar’ world. And there are reasons to do that; inquiring minds want to know what happens next. That's cool if the fans want to see more and if we make enough money on this film.”

According to Deadline, “Fire and Ash” is projected to open to $380 million globally – slightly behind the $444 million worldwide start for “Way of Water.” The film will need strong legs over the holiday season to match the success of its predecessors, both of which earned more than $2 billion each by the end of their theatrical runs.

“The reason not to continue would be if the business case collapses because theatrical is falling,” Cameron says. “These are films that are designed to be in a theater first and take you on that transportive experience. So there's a matrix of, 'All right, what are the economics?’ And that will emerge over the next couple of months. There's also part of that decision-making space that's me as an artist: 'What do I want to do, regardless of what the economic drivers are?' ”

He compares his circumstance to a Road Runner cartoon, staring out into the abyss as he tries to figure out what’s next.

“You know when Wile E. Coyote goes off the cliff, there's a moment where he looks down and it's a mile drop before he falls?” Cameron says, laughing. “That's me right now.”