We’re just a couple of months away from James Cameron releasing a new “Avatar” movie, which means we’re even closer to endless clowns online claiming that nobody cares about “Avatar” and these films have no cultural impact. It also means we’re getting close to Cameron proving yet again that you should never doubt him being able to make so much money he can build a new Titanic, sink it, and then dive down to the wreckage, like he’s done with just about every movie he’s directed so far.

The first trailer for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has arrived, and whether you still doubt Jimmy C or you recognize the release of “Fire and Ash” as the biggest cinematic event of 2025, there is plenty to marvel at here — from the sheer spectacle on display and the incredible visuals to the sci-fi designs and everyone’s favorite space whale, Payakan.

At this point, we shouldn’t be surprised when the next “Avatar” film goes ahead and makes a metric ton of cash at the box office like the previous two movies did. Cameron has undeniably captured the world’s attention and our desire for a franchise that takes us to a completely new and unique world (one that’s even led to people being depressed because Pandora isn’t a real place, apparently). Indeed, regardless of whether the “Avatar” movies are constantly being memed or simply talked about, this property has everyone’s attention the moment a new film drops.

When the first “Avatar” movie was released, many comparisons were made to the “Star Wars” franchise, mainly because it’s a very popular sci-fi property boasting ground-breaking visual effects. Cameron made an extremely successful film, sure, and “Avatar: The Way of Water” has affirmed that people wanted more, but this franchise didn’t have what it takes to become a long-lasting, expansive brand like “Star Wars” — until now, that is, with Cameron having informed Empire Magazine that he also has plans to develop a purely animated “Avatar” anthology series.

Speaking to Empire, Cameron confirmed he’s already had talks with Disney about expanding the world of “Avatar” through animation. “I said, ‘Look, I want to do an animated anthology series that’s essentially in the world, but stories that you wouldn’t have expected from that world,'” Cameron explained. “There might even be an animated feature in there — it might be a feature for streaming or a theatrical feature.”

Cameron specifically pointed to the shorts in “The Animatrix” as “great examples for how we can add texture and baroque detail to the world of ‘Avatar,'” as well as how to use an animated spin-off to expand a franchise while also taking advantage of the power of animation to do things live-action — or, in the case of “Avatar,” live-action and CGI — can’t.

This is the key to taking “Avatar” to the next level. It’s one thing for each of the films to break box office records while they’re in theaters, but what about when they’re not? What happens when there are either or no more “Avatar” movies or Cameron stops being the key creative voice behind them? Just as “Star Wars” was able to survive between the release of the original and prequel trilogies thanks to the Expanded Universe (aka Star Wars Legends) of 1980s and ’90s comic books, novels, and video games, “Avatar” can similarly thrive for years to come by expanding into other mediums.

Sure, we already have some of that in the form of official “Avatar” comics, video games (like the recent, and quite decent, “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora”), and a whole canon theme park land at Disney World. Still, an animated anthology — one with the potential of continuing in the future even once the central movies end — has the potential to capture the imagination the same way the films have and ensure “Avatar” can be expansive enough to keep people engaged, even when they don’t have a trailer or movie to anticipate in the near future.

An animated anthology can easily just be forgotten or ignored in the era of streaming and too much TV. Hence, it’s important that an animated “Avatar” anthology offer some truly stunning animation (Cameron may’ve cited “The Animatrix,” but there’s also the more recent “Love, Death + Robots” to consider), on top of stories that feel like truly important pieces of the larger franchise.

Luckily, Cameron is already all over that. As he told Empire, “[An animated ‘Avatar’ anthology could delve into] backstory on characters and tangential stuff that happened off-camera within the movies. Who first landed on Pandora? The first expedition. You could go anywhere you want.”

Now, that all sounds quite delightful and thrilling. Despite what the haters would have you believe, the narrative simplicity of the “Avatar” franchise is a feature and not a bug, allowing its world-building, lore, and mythology to be the real stars. Moreover, we’ve barely scratched the surface of Pandora’s history, cultures, and populations after two films. An animated anthology that showcases vital pieces of Pandoran history — like the first encounters between different species — or reveals more about the different Na’vi clans would make for an essential piece of storytelling, to say the least.

With all that in mind, it’s admittedly still very early days. “We haven’t done much with that yet,” Cameron confessed to Empire, which makes sense seeing as he’s been working on multiple “Avatar” films for years now, in addition to other projects (including, as we recently learned, a horror movie). “We’re still gathering our stories and that sort of thing and I’ve got to find the boutique filmmakers, the animators, that want to do it,” he added.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” will open in theaters on December 19, 2025.