Noah Romsdal Hallundbæk Sørensen
James Cameron has made one thing crystal clear: the next Avatar film will use zero AI.
A return to Pandora is only weeks away, but the debate around artificial intelligence has followed James Cameron onto the press circuit.
As excitement builds for Avatar: Fire and Ash, the filmmaker is making one point unmistakably clear, the movie was created without generative AI.
Artist-first stance
Speaking to ComicBook.com, the director said he has barred generative AI from all current and future Avatar productions, stressing he has no intention of replacing human performers.
“We honor and celebrate actors. We don’t replace actors,” he told the outlet, adding that the larger concern is the “existential threat from big AI.”
Cameron said he expects the industry to ultimately regulate itself, but warned that filmmakers cannot advocate for artistic integrity “if we exist” only in a landscape dominated by unrestrained AI development.
These remarks arrive as Cameron promotes the effects-heavy sequel due later this month, prompting repeated questions about the technology’s growing influence on Hollywood.
Fear of virtual actors
Earlier in the week, CBS News asked Cameron about the possibility of AI-generated performers.
He contrasted the Avatar franchise’s performance-capture method, which he described as “a celebration of the actor-director moment,” with tools that fabricate characters outright.
“Now, go to the other end of the spectrum, and you’ve got generative AI, where they can make up a character,” he said. “They can make up an actor. They can make up a performance from scratch with a text prompt. It’s like, no. That’s horrifying to me.”
Cameron has previously voiced concerns about AI’s wider societal risks, warning of a “nuclear arms race” in autonomous weapons systems.
AI pressures in Hollywood
His comments land as the industry navigates the rise of synthetic performers.
Recently, AI-generated “actress” Tilly Norwood drew criticism from SAG-AFTRA after creator Eline Van der Velden told Broadcast International she wanted Norwood “to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”
The debate sits alongside financial pressures. Last week, Cameron said he is prepared to abandon plans for Avatar 4 and 5 if Fire and Ash fails to justify their enormous budgets.
High stakes ahead
The franchise has a track record of record-breaking success.
The original Avatar remains the highest-grossing film in history with $2.9 billion in global earnings, while 2022’s The Way of Water sits at $2.3 billion, just ahead of Cameron’s Titanic.
Disney expects Fire and Ash to continue that momentum.
Avatar 4 is slated for December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 for December 19, 2031, dates that would see Cameron approaching 80 by the time the saga concludes.
Sources: Comic Book, CBS News, IGN Nordic
