James Cameron has won Oscar gold and traveled 2,000+ fathoms through his love of the Titanic, but the director is assuring everyone that he will never make a movie about OceanGate’s Titan, the submersible that imploded last month leaving all five onboard dead.
James Cameron took to Twitter over the weekend to let everyone know, “I don’t respond to offensive rumors in the media usually, but I need to now. I’m NOT in talks about an OceanGate film, nor will I ever be.”
The story of OceanGate’s Titan captured the attention of people worldwide and has undoubtedly been one of the most talked-about events of the decade. But the dramatic story might not quite be ready for the big screen, as investigations are ongoing and its long-term effects on things such as tourism, underwater safety and more are yet to be determined. Still, that didn’t stop Channel 5 from exploiting the event by setting up a documentary to air while events were still unfolding. Netflix also faced some misplaced heat when James Cameron’s Titanic was announced to return to the streaming service less than two weeks after the OceanGate tragedy (even though it had been in the works for some time). Although they maybe could have reconsidered their promotion of the freediving doc The Deepest Breath…
Not surprisingly, James Cameron was a go-to source for perspective on the OceanGate tragedy, saying, “I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself…Where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field.”
Although it might seem like a perfect fit considering his history with the Titanic, the OceanGate story does feel below the caliber of James Cameron, who is far from being the kind of person to actively exploit a recent news story just to cash in. Come on, the guy waited over 60 years to start exploring the Titanic!
Would you watch an OceanGate movie at any point? Would a James Cameron-directed OceanGate movie be a success? Give us your take in the comments section below.