James Cameron's original Avatar was a labor of love; he spent a long time perfecting the story and creating the special effects that were required to bring it to life. So, you weren't seriously hoping that he'd pass off the sequels to anyone else, were you? Even though Sigourney Weaver has said that Cameron's involvement in Avatar: The Way of Water is particularly meaningful to her, Cameron has returned for the third, fourth, and fifth films in the series.