James Cameron has already made plans for the sixth and seventh Avatar films.

The 69-year-old director has the future of the epic sci-franchise mapped out until the release of Avatar 5 in 2031 and revealed that he has ideas beyond that – even though he is likely to have stepped away from directorial duties by then.

'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,' James told People magazine at the Saturn Awards on Sunday.

'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.'

Cameron – whose flick Avatar: The Way of Water picked up four awards at the ceremony in Los Angeles - explained that he wants the 'Avatar' franchise to match the popularity of sci-fi behemoths 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek'.

The Titanic filmmaker said: 'Star Trek, Star Wars, the world-building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations.

'And as I was saying out there, 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.'

Cameron added: 'People are always asking us, 'So why did you just keep working in the same...' Why did (George) Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did (Gene) Roddenberry keep working in the same thing?