James Cameron, the maker of iconic films like Avatar and Titanic, is one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. Cameron, like many other filmmakers, carved out his own route in the industry while drawing inspiration from many filmmakers and movies. Star Wars, the biggest sci-fi franchise movie by George Lucas, may have been what most inspired Cameron.
Cameron had dreams of making his own movies while working as a truck driver. However, the filmmaker revealed that it was Star Wars that gave the Oscar winner the boost he might have needed. It was when Cameron saw the mega-hit that he realized what he was meant to do with his life.
James Cameron wanted to give the biggest sci-fi franchise some competition
Legendary filmmaker, James Cameron chatted with Premiere and discussed how Star Wars made him really pissed and after watching the movie, Cameron, who was merely a truck driver decided to do something of his own. And that’s what he did. With an aim to compete with Star Wars’ cinematic universe, Cameron went on to create one of Hollywood’s most visually appealing universes with his movie franchise, Avatar
“I was pissed off, I wanted to make that movie. That’s when I got busy.”
Cameron also previously told Chicago Tribune his idea behind creating a fantasy world,
“You’ve got to compete head on with these other epic works of fantasy and fiction, the Tolkiens and the Star Wars and the Star Treks, People want a persistent alternate reality to invest themselves in and they want the detail that makes it rich and worth their time. They want to live somewhere else. Like Pandora.”
With almost $10 billion in worldwide box office receipts, the Star Wars films are the second-highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, trailing only the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the other hand, Avatar is the 13th-highest-grossing film series of all time with worldwide box office receipts of over $5.2 billion.
James Cameron discusses Avatar 2 influences
In an interview with Variety, Cameron talked about how The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars influenced the second Avatar film. He told the media,
“It’s dangerous to tell a story with a lot of characters because it can lack focus, but I just took that challenge on. There’s this epic landscape with epic storytelling. I was trying to emulate a Star Wars universe or Lord of the Rings. Something that’s a persistent world that people can come back to and enjoy over time. If you look at something like The Rings of Power, with those multiple storylines and interesting characters, that’s what I was aspiring to.”
Cameron has also mentioned the importance of domestic influences in the creation of Avatar: The Way of Water in addition to Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. The central idea of the sequel, “the family is the Fortress,” was developed from Cameron’s personal experiences as a parent, he recently said. He also acknowledged that there had been instances when he had not been the best father to his five kids. These components, in Cameron’s opinion, make Avatar: The Way of Water a more profound film than its predecessor. He continued by pointing out that the film’s narrative strategy was more intricate because it addressed family issues from both the parents’ and the kids’ perspectives.
Source : Cheat Sheet
