James Cameron Planning Titanic TV Special

While James Cameron was already a successful director before helming Titanic back in 1997, but it was the movie about that doomed ship that catapulted his career into the stratosphere and made him the self-proclaimed "king of the world." Given that fact, and the amount of time Cameron has spent poking around underwater over the past few decades, this news shouldn't come as a surprise. THR says that Cameron will be indulging his Titanic obsession once more, this time for the National Geographic Channel. He'll be directing a two-hour documentary about the ship, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy.

Cameron's Titanic credentials extend beyond just directing a movie about it. THR points out that he has made more than two dozen dives down to the wreckage. The special, entitled Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron, will use cutting-edge new technology to learn even more about why exactly the ocean liner sank (for those of you looking for something more specific than "big damn iceberg"). Michael Cascio, the executive vp of programming for National Geographic Channel, is tight-lipped about what new discoveries the special might unveil, but hints that "some could alter the accepted facts about why the 'unsinkable' ship sank."

Cascio had this to say about Cameron's passion for the Titanic:

[Cameron] is a freak about the Titanic ... He is obsessed with trying to find out why exactly it sank. He’s actually comparing his research with his film to see what we’ve learned since then and what can advance the story.



In addition to Final Word, National Geographic Channel will also air Save the Titanic, a new documentary that looks at current threats to the preservation of the Titanic's wreckage. It will be hosted by Dr. Bob Ballard, an expert who was one of the original team that discovered the Titanic wreckage site in 1985. Both specials will air in April 2012.

James Cameron says 'Titanic' 3-D re-release looks 'more amazing than it did in 1997'

While this isn’t exactly how these famous fellas envisioned Titanic should return to theaters, they’d probably still be thrilled that James Cameron came around and found a way to bring back the 1997 box office Oscar-winning smash. And in 3-D, no less.

“I’ve been looking for years for an opportunity to put Titanic back on the big screen, because that’s really where it belongs,” Cameron says in a behind-the-scenes featurette. The writer/director goes on to explain that he chose the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic to bring the film back to audiences to “re-experience” the movie. Cameron, who refers to the movie as “my baby,” went on to talk about the challenges in making a 3-D movie that wasn’t initially shot in 3-D. “We cleaned it up and made it as pristine as possible,” he says of the update. Watch the full clip below. (Admit it, you get some goosebumps when you see Kate Winslet’s Rose looking at the ship for the first time, too.)

Comparing The 'Avatar' And 'Titanic' Couples With James Cameron

Robotic body suits, evil corporations, do-not-mess-with-me female sidekicks — these are just some of the recurring motifs in the films of James Cameron, present from 1984's "Terminator" up through current box-office and awards-season pet "Avatar."

But it's not just these whiz-bang action-flick factors that connect "Avatar" to the director's earlier work. The forbidden love story between ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and silky blue alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) calls to mind another set of star-crossed paramours: Jack and Rose from "Titanic," otherwise known as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities. (Earlier this week, we explored whether Worthington and Saldana will follow DiCaprio's and Winslet's post-Cameron career paths.)

'Titanic' voted most romantic film of all times

'Titanic', the doomed love story of shipmates Jack and Rose, has come out on top of a list of the most romantic movies ever made.

The blockbuster movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet grabbed the number one spot in the poll, beating off competition from 'Pretty Woman' and 'Dirty Dancing', reported Ace Showbiz online.

'Titanic' was also recently voted most romantic movie moment of all time, for the scene where Jack hugs Rose from behind at front of ship. It beat out the other romantic scenes from popular nine films including 'Love Actually', 'Ghost', 'The Notebook' and six more.

While the James Cameron epic, which spent a decade as the most successful film ever made, was named the best in the poll conducted by Fandango.com, 'Sex and the City 2' was voted the Worst Chick Flick, ahead of 'All About Steve' and 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'.

Avatar and Titanic director says Qld floods 'horrific'

Director James Cameron says his heart is going out to the people of Queensland whose lives have been devastated by this week's "horrific" floods.

Cameron is in Australia to promote Sanctum 3D, which he executive produced. The film, shot in Queensland, tells the story of a group of cave divers who become trapped when a torrential downpour blocks their escape.

He has a vast experience of working with dangerous bodies of water - having shot Titanic, The Abyss and a series of documentaries about ocean exploration.

He says these experiences have taught him to respect the devastating power of water.

"People always underestimate the power of water. Water can crush you," Cameron, who also directed Avatar, said.

"Whether you spend a lot of time in the water or underwater, as we have in the ocean, or indeed made films when you have to move large amounts of water around, people always consistently underestimate the power of it.

"I think that gives us collectively a great respect for what people are up against in Queensland and, of course, our hearts go out to people who are losing their homes.

"The scope and scale of it is really horrific."

Sanctum's director, Alister Grierson, agreed, adding it was difficult to make a connection about shooting a movie about a flood and people who were actually experiencing one.

"It's a frivolous pursuit, in a sense, what we do for a living - so it's difficult to compare to people's real lives," he said.

"And we've all got friends and family in Queensland who are suffering through this."

Producer Andrew Wight says most of the crew that worked on Sanctum live in Queensland.

"If there's any message to be taken from it, it is that mother nature unleashes and you have to pay attention," Wight said.

"But we will recover and we will rebuild and we will stick together.

"And out of these disasters often comes a lot of good - people take a fresh look at their lives and realise that a lot of the stuff that we surround ourselves with isn't that important."

James Cameron hints at Avatar sequel

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Canadian director James Cameron said he could be "persuaded" to film a sequel to his record-breaking science-fiction epic "Avatar."

The futuristic 3-D blockbuster reached yet another milestone on Tuesday, when it smashed the North American box office record previously held by Cameron's "Titanic" (1997).

"We might be persuaded. We'll have to see how much money the movie makes first," Cameron told CNN on Wednesday when asked about a possible sequel.

Money should be of no concern, with "Avatar" having already racked up over 2.05 billion dollars worldwide, including over 601.1 million in the United States and Canada, overtaking the 600.8 million "Titanic" earned.

It has also secured nine Oscar nominations, including in the leading categories of best film and best director, as well as several technical achievement categories.

In his first interview since his film earned its massive success, Cameron said he was "absolutely" surprised by the records it has broken.

"And that's not some sort of false humility. We thought it was gonna be a commercial movie, but we didn't think it was gonna do half of what it's done financially," he said.

"I see a very similar pattern, in a sense, between Titanic and Avatar. Not that they are similar films because they are not -- totally different subjects -- but in both cases, you have people coming back over and over to see the film."

Cameron pointed to an "emotional connection" of the public across cultural boundaries with these films.

Despite not saying a word about the Oscar nominations, he acknowledged that making "Avatar" -- believed to be the most expensive motion picture ever -- was no easy undertaking.

"I had to keep from putting a pistol in my mouth about 20 times during the making of this film," he said ironically.

"That's the nature of an experimental project. It is like the Lewis and Clark expedition (to the US Pacific coast). They can have a general idea where they are going but there is no way you could predict all twists and turns along the way."