JAMES CAMERON CAN’T LEAVE THE SEA

_{Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) (image: 20^th Century Studios)}

James Cameron’s career began in the water. Piranha II (1982) was a low-budget horror sequel to Piranha (1978). It was an Italian production about mutated piranhas that could fly. The film was financed by Warner Brothers, which required that an American director helm the project. The original American director was fired, and Cameron—who was then working as a special effects technician—was offered the directing job.

 Cameron quickly found himself at odds with the film’s producer, Ovidio G. Assonitis, who micromanaged him, second-guessed his creative decisions, and ultimately fired him within five days. Cameron was still credited as the director, and he wanted to edit the film himself. However, Assonitis refused. It’s rumored that Cameron broke into the studio at night and attempted to edit the film, but was caught in the act. He later disavowed the final product and even tried to have his name removed from the credits. This experience, I believe, played a formative role in shaping the filmmaker he would become.

Cameron went on to work on a screenplay called The Terminator (1984). While that film would  launch Arnold Schwarzenegger into superstardom, it was the script itself that opened new doors for Cameron. He was hired to write the first draft of Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)—though Sylvester Stallone ultimately rewrote it—and that same script landed Cameron the job of writing and directing Aliens (1986), a sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic Alien (1979).

Around that time, Cameron also returned to the ocean with The Abyss (1989), a story about a civilian diving team searching for a sunken submarine who encounter an alien aquatic species. While the film performed modestly at the box office, it was considered a financial disappointment compared to Cameron’s earlier successes. A major point of contention while making the film was that it was nearly 3 hours long. A 3 hour long film was not considered commercially viable at the time, so Cameron trim the film to 145 minutes for the theatrical cut. Years later, he released a 171-minute director’s cut with expanded character development and a new ending. This version was far better received by critics than the theatrical release.

Following The Abyss, Cameron reunited with Schwarzenegger for Terminator 2 (1991). Despite the many sequels that followed—most of which also starred Schwarzenegger—Terminator 2 remains the only one widely regarded as a worthy successor. This underscores the idea that Cameron, not Schwarzenegger, was the true creative force behind the franchise. Cameron also directed another Schwarzenegger hit with True Lies (1994).

With two major hits behind him, Cameron once again turned to the sea, this time with Titanic (1997), an epic romance set on the doomed voyage of the RMS Titanic. With a record-breaking $200 million budget, Cameron was given full creative control. I had read the script before the film’s release and, while I didn’t find it particularly impressive, the final movie was a different experience altogether. The massive budget resulted in breathtaking visuals, and the film propelled Leonardo DiCaprio to superstardom. Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On“ became a global hit. The film went on to win a record-tying number of Academy Awards—matching Ben-Hur (1959)—and became the highest-grossing film of all time until Cameron’s Avatar (2009) surpassed it.

Before Avatar, however, Cameron largely kept a low profile. During this period, he continued to explore his fascination with the ocean. He founded Earthship Productions, a company focused on deep-sea documentaries, many of which were created in 3D.

Cameron wrote Avatar in 1995 but waited until the technology was ready to bring his vision to life. He envisioned the film in 3D, though it also had a non-3D version. Still, it’s the 3D technology that stands out as the film’s defining strength, creating a truly unique cinematic experience.

Interestingly, unlike its sequels, the original Avatar doesn’t take place in the ocean but rather in the lush jungles of the alien planet Pandora. In the film, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) seeks to mine a rare mineral on the planet. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic former Marine, is recruited to explore Pandora through the use of an avatar, as the planet’s atmosphere is toxic to humans. On Pandora, Jake meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), a native of the Na’vi people. As he learns more about her clan, he begins to question his loyalties and ultimately realizes he is fighting for the wrong side. By the end of the film, Jake permanently transfers his consciousness into his avatar body.

Avatar had a massive budget of $300 million but went on to surpass Titanic as the highest-grossing film of all time. Although it was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, it didn’t sweep the ceremony the way Titanic had.

Cameron had ideas for Avatar sequels early on, but they wouldn’t materialize until much later. In the meantime, he continued to explore his passion for the ocean. In 2012, he created a documentary that re-investigated the sinking of the Titanic, as well as another exploring the legend of Atlantis. Cameron personally took part in deep-sea exploration. On March 7, 2012, he descended five miles into the New Britain Trench. Nineteen days later, he became the first person to solo dive to the Challenger Deep—the deepest part of the Mariana Trench—where he discovered new aquatic species.

Cameron’s deep-sea fascination is clearly reflected in Avatar: The Way of Water (2021). In the sequel, Jake and Neytiri have started a family and relocated to the oceans of Pandora, where they live among the aquatic Metkayina clan. One of their sons, Lo’ak, bonds with Payakan, a highly intelligent, pacifist, whale-like species. Payakan is considered an outcast by his kind for attacking whalers who killed his mother, violating the pacifist code.

When the RDA returns to colonize Pandora, they attempt to capture Payakan. He escapes, but the children who tried to warn him are taken hostage. This sets the stage for a climactic battle between the Metkayina and the RDA. The protagonists emerge victorious, and the Sully family chooses to remain with the Metkayina in their oceanic sanctuary.

This leads into the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). Jake Sully knows the RDA will return with greater force, but the Metkayina, who reject the use of firearms, face a major disadvantage. Complicating matters, the Sully family has taken in Spider (Jack Champion), a human boy and the biological son of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who now exists in avatar form and leads the RDA’s military operations. Spider cannot breathe Pandora’s air and must wear a mask at all times.

As the Sullys escort Spider to a human scientific outpost, they are ambushed by the Mangkwan, a reclusive Na’vi tribe that rejects the ways of the other clans and lives in isolation on the volcanic highlands. Their aircraft crashes, leaving them stranded.

The Mangkwan are among the most intriguing additions to the story, particularly their leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin). For the first time, Cameron presents Pandora natives who are not portrayed as inherently noble. Varang is a sorceress who practices the dark spiritual traditions of her ancestors. Her clan turned to these rituals after a volcanic eruption devastated their tribe and none of Pandora’s traditional spiritual customs had helped. Through her magic, Varang rose to power. She becomes fascinated upon discovering an automatic rifle—an alien weapon to her people—and even enters into a romantic relationship with Colonel Quaritch, now fully embedded in his avatar body. Varang’s character opens up many potential storylines, offering a morally complex and darker dimension to the Avatar universe.

However, Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to center around Jake Sully, his family, the Metkayina clan, and the Resources Development Administration. Cameron seems primarily interested in extending the story begun in Avatar: The Way of Water. While fleeing from the Mangkwan, Spider eventually learns to breathe Pandora’s air with the help of his adopted sister, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). Eventually, the RDA discovers this development, which could make their colonization efforts significantly easier. Furthermore, they enlist the Mangkwan as allies.

The story once again builds to a climactic battle between the people of Pandora and the RDA—an ending that mirrors that of The Way of Water.

The 3D technology remains as breathtaking as in the previous Avatar films. However, by making Fire and Ash feel like a three-hour continuation of The Way of Water, it’s clear that Cameron remains most fascinated by the oceanic environments of Pandora.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is off to a strong start at the box office this opening weekend. However, it remains to be seen how it will perform in the coming weeks. Should the film underperform, or if Cameron chooses not to continue directing the remaining installments of the Avatar franchise, he already has a contingency plan: he will hold a press conference to announce his intention to novelize Avatar 4 and 5.

Given that Jake Sully’s family and the Metkayina clan still reside by the sea, we can expect the ocean to continue playing a central role in the saga. But perhaps most revealing about Cameron’s future direction is his ongoing insistence on creative control, a lesson forged early in his career during his troubled experiences on Piranha II and The Abyss, two other films deeply tied to the water.