James Cameron already has ideas for Avatar 6 and 7, because of course he does

Don't expect James Cameron to return from Pandora and the world of the Na'vi any time soon.

During an interview at the Saturn Awards over the weekend, the acclaimed sci-fi filmmaker told PEOPLE that he has ideas for at least two more movies in the Avatar franchise beyond the five that have been released or announced.

"We're fully written through movie five, and I've got ideas for six and seven, although I'll probably be handing the baton on at that point," said Cameron, 69. "I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people."

If Cameron has his way, the Avatar series could one day be on par with some other mega-franchises. "Star Trek, Star Wars, the world-building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations," he said. "We're still a young universe. We're only two movies in, we're halfway through our third right now. To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it."

There's no question that Cameron has been pouring all his energy into the Avatar projects. Following the success of Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022, a third Avatar film is slated to hit theaters in 2025, with a fourth set for 2029 and fifth for 2031.

It might be dismaying news for anyone hoping to see Cameron write or direct some non-Avatar projects, but if you're part of the audience that helped make the first two installments the highest-grossing movies ever, it's probably (whale) music to your ears. Cameron compared his commitment to the series to the ambitions of visionaries like George Lucas.

"People are always asking us, 'So why did you just keep working in the same…' Why did Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did [Gene] Roddenberry keep working in the same thing?" he said. "Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?"

Avatar producer Jon Landau also stressed that it isn't a matter of doing more simply because the films make billions at the box office; it's fed by a genuine drive from Cameron to tell stories he's passionate about. "There are more stories to tell," Landau said. "I mean, it's not like we're trying to come up with stories. He's got the stories and we took the time to lay it out across all four sequels."

Cameron described the success of the first two films — which have combined to gross more than $5 billion at the global box office — as "empowering" when it comes to looking ahead to telling more stories in this world.

And he plans to use the same strategy he did with Way of Water, taking audiences to places they'd never expect. Meanwhile, we'd just like to know if the Na'vi ever found Rose's diamond necklace at the bottom of the ocean.

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