Together, James Cameron and Jon Landau made movie history. The director and producer found themselves first working together on 1994’s True Lies, while Landau was executive vice president at 20th Century Fox – and after a fruitful partnership, it was Landau that Cameron approached when he needed a producer for his most ambitious movie yet. Landau said yes – and the pair went on to make Titanic together, a process that involved building a new studio in Baja, and shooting some of the most complex practical and digital effects ever brought to the big screen, with a budget of $200 million. The film went on to become the biggest blockbuster of all time – and if that wasn’t enough, Cameron and Landau did it all over again on Avatar, pioneering new virtual production processes and 3D technologies to deliver a world-conquering blockbuster behemoth.
As part of our Empire 30 celebrations (where we’ve named James Cameron one of the 30 most adventurous filmmakers of our lifetime) Landau wrote an exclusive piece for Empire about his long-term collaboration with Cameron. Not only that, but he opened up his personal picture vault from their time working together – and we have some bonus images to share with you here.
Cameron, Landau and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Baja Studios groundbreaking ceremony during prodution of Titanic.
Cameron, Landau and Rae Sanchini (Exec Producer) celebrate Titanic’s victory at the Oscars after-party.
Cameron and Landau in Russia to screen Titanic for the crew of research vessel Akademic Mstislav Keldysh.
Cameron and Landau visit troops in Bahrain with Avatar stars Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Michelle Rodriguez.
Cameron, Landau, and Rodriguez visit troops on the Eisenhower Aircraft Carrier in the Persian Gulf.
Cameron and Landau announce the Avatar Cirque Du Soleil show with Daniel Lamarre (Cirque Du Soleil CEO).
Cameron and Landau at the opening of Pandora – The World Of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom, with Zoe Saldana, Bob Chapek and Bob Iger.
Read Jon Landau’s full article about working with James Cameron, and see more exclusive images from his personal collection in the January 2019 issue of Empire, out now and available online here{
Also inside the issue, James Cameron writes an exclusive personal essay about his years as a filmmaker, and he answers questions from Empire readers in The People Vs. James Cameron – where he talks about those long-awaited Abyss and True Lies Blu-rays, and the film he almost shot in space with Tom Cruise. Plus, we look at the 20-year making of Alita: Battle Angel, Cameron and Landau's latest collaboration. Read a tribute to Cameron by Empire's resident super-fan James Dyer online here.