James Cameron confirms 'Avatar 2' is his next film

Nope, James Cameron won't take a break from "Avatar" after all. In fact, Fox's Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman today announced that Cameron has agreed to next direct "Avatar 2" AND "Avatar 3."

Cameron will start working on the scripts early next year, and it looks like production will start at the end of 2011. However, the director has not yet decided whether he will shoot the films back-to-back.

Right now, "Avatar 2" is scheduled to land in theaters December 2014. "Avatar 3" may follow a year later. Yes, Cameron is definitely in it for the long run, and so are his loyal "Avatar" fans. Five years ain't bad.

“We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of 'Avatar,'" Rothman and Gianopulos said in a press release they sent out.

"With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners at Twentieth Century Fox," Cameron said. He's excited to take it all to the next level.

"In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of 'Avatar''s visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world," he said.