James Cameronhas had his hands full over the past decade or so working on theAvatarseries of films. Following the massive success of the firstAvatarfilm in 2009, which set the standard for visual effects and also revolutionized the theatrical experience, the director has fully committed himself to its sequels,Avatar: The Way of WaterandAvatar: Fire and Ash. However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t already planning his next project post-Pandora. In fact, the release of a trailer for a new book also came with news of the director’s ambitious plans to adapt it into a feature film.
In an exclusive report from DiscussingFilm, the news outlet debuted the newest trailer forGhosts of Hiroshima, the latest historical book written by Charles Pellegrino. The author is best known for his consulting work with James Cameron, during which he provided extensive scientific notes and consultation on the filmsTitanicandAvatar.Ghosts of Hiroshimais set to recount the stories of various survivors of the atomic bombings, and more specifically, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a man who happened to be at both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and survived.
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While there is no set production start date or even a script in place, Cameron has been very vocal about turning Yamaguchi’s story of survival into a feature film. There were also some new details about Cameron’s ambitious intentions for the movie, including the reveal that the acclaimed director wants his film adaptation to be similar to whatSteven Spielberg did withSaving Private RyanorSchindler’s List.
‘Ghosts of Hiroshima’ Will Be James Cameron’s “Unsparing” Look at the Atomic Bombings of World War II
Interest in the nuclear age has only grown since the release ofChristopher Nolan’s2023 filmOppenheimer, which broke box office records and also won big at the Academy Awards the following year. However, Cameron wasn’t afraid to voice his problems with the film, as an interview with Deadline revealed that the director believed that the limited screen time of the effects of the bomb on the people of Japan “was a bit of a moral cop out.” Thankfully, theAvatardirector is a creative who backs up his words and his intentions withGhosts of Hiroshimaare to highlight specifically what Nolan chose to omit forOppenheimer.
The DiscussingFilm report also mentions that Cameron wants to be “unsparing” and tell the real story of what happened. The book on which the movie is based is set to be released on August 5, the week that marks the 80th anniversary of the bombings.Ghosts of Hiroshimawill also receive a premium audiobook version upon release, featuring narration by Martin Sheen and original music by Hans Zimmer. The novel will give film fans a good idea of what to expect from Cameron’s adaptation, though the film feels like it is far from release thanks to Cameron’s various other commitments.
The director has spent the better part of his 16 years working on theAvatarseries of films, shooting several of the sequels back-to-back, and even taking time to help develop new motion capture technology. Cameron has always shown himself to be a filmmaker dedicated to telling stories to the fullest of his capabilities, so while it may be a while longer before more serious work onGhosts of Hiroshimagets started, we can at least take heart that the director will handle the project and subject matter with the utmost sensitivity.
Source:DiscussingFilm,Deadline
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