James Cameron Wants to Direct A Film About the Hiroshima Bomb Before Avatar 4

Before Avatar 4, James Cameron would like to direct the book adaptation of The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back. While his latest film Avatar continues to break box office records, an article in the Los Angeles Times reveals that director James Cameron still wants to move forward with the adaptation of The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back, a book by Charles R. Pellegrino. The book details the bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the events of World War II from the perspective of the survivors. Cameron would like to make the film before Avatar 4.

James Cameron Wants to Direct A Film About the Hiroshima Bomb

Cameron had already expressed his interest in adapting the story for the big screen in 2010; the director reportedly visited and interviewed Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only known survivor who was present during both the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in preparation for the film. Yamaguchi died a short time later in 2010, but no film adaptation has been produced since then. After deciding to devote his creative efforts to sequels to the long-talked-about Avatar, the in-development film was shelved along with the director’s other unrealized projects, such as the adaptation of Spider-Man, which is been canceled, and Alita: The Battle Angel, which was eventually brought to the big screen by Robert Rodriguez.

However, not all hope for the film is lost: the director recently revealed to the LA Times that he wants to take a break before the production of Avatar 4 to work on the film about Hiroshima, adding its relevance due to recent significant events such as the war in Ukraine and the recent resurgence of nationalism around the world. “We live in a more precarious world than we thought,” Cameron said. “I think the Hiroshima movie is as topical as ever if not more. It reminds people of what these weapons really do when used against human targets“.

It wouldn’t be Cameron’s first film to emerge from development hell: one example is the first Avatar, initially written in 1994 before being delayed due to technological limitations at the time. While the film is still in its early stages and no casting or shooting has been announced, Cameron’s commitment to the project indicates that the film could be his first “non-Avatar” narrative feature since the release of Titanic in 1997. Should the film be produced, it could be one of the most memorable in the director’s filmography. For now, details on the project remain scarce until production hopefully kicks into gear in the near future.