Los Angeles, Jul 7 (IANS): Filmmaker James Cameron has shared that he's considering leaving the world of Pandora from the 2009 blockbuster 'Avatar' franchise behind for other projects down the line.

The first 'Avatar' sequel, subtitled 'The Way of Water', is set to hit theaters on December 16. A third film in the 'Avatar' series was shot back-to-back with 'The Way of the Water' and is eyeing a release in 2024, reports 'Variety'.

While Cameron certainly has a vision of more 'Avatar' stories after those two films, he might not be at the helm for potential subsequent entries.

According to 'Variety', the director told Empire that he's considering leaving the franchise in another director's hands after he completes work on the third entry.

"The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming," Cameron said.

"I've got some other things I'm developing as well that are exciting. I think eventually over time - I don't know if that's after three or after four - I'll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I'm also interested in. Or maybe not. I don't know."

Even so, Cameron expressed excitement about the potential to watch his grand plan for the 'Avatar' saga come to fruition.

"Movie four is a corker. It's a m***********. I actually hope I get to make it. But it depends on market forces," Cameron said.

"Three is in the can so it's coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make four and five because it's one big story, ultimately."

Cameron has stepped away from the director's chair for projects that he has poured years into with 2019's 'Alita: Battle Angela', which was ultimately helmed by Robert Rodriguez while Cameron stayed attached to the production as an executive producer and co-writer.