James Cameron Almost Fired 'Avatar' Sequel Writers for Doing Their Job Movie The director explains to the writers that he wants to focus on 'figuring out what worked on the first film, what connected, and why it worked,' but they keep pitching new ideas. Apr 2, 2021 AceShowbiz - A rift behind the camera is nothing new in filmmaking and the crew of " Avatar" sequels was also having one of their own. It's James Cameron himself who revealed that the pre-production of his upcoming potential tentpoles wasn't as smooth sailing as it seemed. Sitting down with Marianne Williamson to talk about the challenge of following up the highest-grossing movie in history, the director revealed he almost fired his "Avatar" sequel writers' room for doing their job, which is pitching new ideas for the upcoming movies.