When Avatar first debuted in 2009, no one knew it will sprawl into this big, beautiful cinematic saga that would be years in the making. While the original movie and sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, had a gap of over a decade the third sequel is already due out this December. With two more movies on the way, Avatar: Fire and Ash will take a darker turn as Jake (Sam Worthington) and his family struggle with impending war. But can there be some day another expansion of the Avatar world beyond the big screen? James Cameron thinks so, as in a new interview with the Empire magazine, the celebrated director reveals the plan for an animated series.

Each Avatar movie has been a masterpiece crafted out of meticulous attention to detail and great performances. So, an animated anthology series sounds like a lucrative idea, Cameron divulges that he has spoken to higher-ups at Disney: “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.’” Adding, “There might even be an animated feature in there – it might be a feature for streaming, or a theatrical feature.”

Cameron further cited the example of The Animatrix, “where they went afield in the Matrix world. These are all great examples for how we can add texture and baroque detail to the world of Avatar.” He plans to deliver the “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.”

‘Avatar’ Animated Series Won’t Be Coming Soon

So, while the original movies took years of planning and developing technical finesse, an animated anthology series too will take its sweet time in the development phase “We haven’t done much with that yet,” Cameron tells. Which makes sense given he’s knee deep with the upcoming Avatar sequels, “We’re still gathering our stories and that sort of thing,” he adds, “and I’ve got to find the boutique filmmakers, the animators, that want to do it.”

Speaking of sequels, the movie just released a trailer for Fire and Ash that shows the aftermath of the events of The Way of Water and how the Sully family sees the transition of kids into warriors and their fears. It action packed, promising that the sequel will raise the stakes in the overarching story. Avatar: Fire and Ash will explode in theatres on December 19.

via Collider