James Cameron announces a fourth Avatar sequel

Director James Cameron has revealed there'll be four Avatar sequels, rather than the previously announced three.

The director said he was beginning to "bump up against the limitations" with just the three sequels, so needs more space to tell his story.

"We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic process," he said at CinemaCon, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. "I've been working the last couple of years with a team of four top screenwriters to design the world of Avatar going forward: the characters, the creatures, the environment, the new cultures.

"So far, the art I'm seeing is, in pure imagination, really far beyond the first film," he added. "It's going to be a true epic saga."

Last year it was revealed Cameron had enough material for four follow-up films but was trying to cut it back down. But, let's face it, the 2009 original is still the highest-grossing film of all time, with a worldwide total of $2.8 billion. Cameron's own Titanic still sits in second at $2.2 billion. Clearly he's a man who knows what he's doing. Heck, let him have all the sequels he wants. Just maybe pop us a print-out guide to keep up with all the storylines, eh?

Cameron's current plan is to release Avatar 2 around Christmas 2018 and then a new film in 2020, 2022 and 2023.