James Cameron To Direct Hiroshima Movie Before “Avatar 4”

James Cameron’s latest box office smash hit Avatar: The Way of Water continues to make waves. The next three Avatar films are already in the works. However, Cameron has additional plans. A report from the LA Times shared that Cameron has another project in his lineup. He’s set to make a film adaptation of the book, The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back. Charles R. Pellegrino wrote the book, which tells stories of the Japanese Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings during the events of World War II. However, the story is told from the perspectives of survivors.

Initially, Cameron was interested in adapting this story as a film in 2010. He visited and interviewed Tsutomu Yamaguchi to prepare for the film. Yamaguchi was the only known survivor that was present in the bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Eventually, Yamaguchi passed away soon after meeting with Cameron. Since then, no one has made a film adaptation of Pellegrino’s book. However, Cameron decided to dedicate his time to the Avatar sequels, so he shelved the movie about the bombings.

However, after all these years, there is hope for the Hiroshima film. Cameron recently revealed that he will take some time off before the production of Avatar 4. During this time, Cameron will supposedly work on the Hiroshima movie. He mentioned the importance of the film during these times. For example, the war in Ukraine and the recent resurgence of nationalism worldwide make the film relevant today. Cameron said, “We live in a more precarious world than we thought we did. I think the Hiroshima film would be as timely as ever, if not more so. It reminds people what these weapons really do when they’re used against human targets.”

This would not be the first of Cameron’s films to return from the depths of development. For example, Avatar was initially written in 1994 but shelved due to technological restraints of the decade. The Hiroshima movie is in early stages of development. There are no casting or filming announcements yet. Details are limited until production begins. However, Cameron’s commitment to the film makes it clear that this could be Cameron’s first non-Avatar film since Titanic in 1997.