Marc Piasecki/Getty; JC Olivera/Variety via Getty James Cameron has agreed to make a film based on the upcoming bookGhosts of Hiroshima TheTitanicdirector said he wanted to follow the story of the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing He also criticized Christopher Nolan's 2023 blockbusterOppenheimer, calling it a "moral cop out" for not following the real-life victims James Cameronis planning his own film about the atomic bomb following the Oscar-winning success of writer and directorChristopher Nolan'sOppenheimer— but theTitanicdirector says his film will be very different. "Yeah…it's interesting what he stayed away from," Cameron, 70, toldDeadlineof Nolan, 54, when asked if he was surprisedOppenheimerwon seven Oscars and grossed nearly $1 billion. "Look, I love the filmmaking, but I did feel that it was a bit of a moral cop out." Cameron said he intends to make a film based off Charles Pellegrino's upcoming bookGhosts of Hiroshima,which highlights the brutal realities of the Hiroshima victims hit by the atom bomb in 1945. Of J. Robert Oppenheimer — the real-life physicist who helped create the atom bomb — Cameron said the man was well aware of the effects of his creation. "[Nolan's] got one brief scene in the film where we see — and I don't like to criticize another filmmaker's film — but there's only one brief moment where he sees some charred bodies in the audience and then the film goes on to show how it deeply moved him," Cameron noted. "But I felt that it dodged the subject. I don't know whether the studio or Chris felt that that was a third rail that they didn't want to touch, but I want to go straight at the third rail. I'm just stupid that way." Universal Pictures In a 2023 interview withVariety, Nolan acknowledged the criticism of his decision not to highlight the bomb's victims in his lengthy film. "The film presents Oppenheimer's experience subjectively," Nolan said at the time. "It was always my intention to rigidly stick to that. Oppenheimer heard about the bombing at the same time that the rest of the world did. I wanted to show somebody who is starting to gain a clearer picture of the unintended consequences of his actions. It was as much about what I don't show as what I show." When it comes to telling the victims' stories, Cameron said, "Okay, I'll put up my hand. I'll do it, Chris. No problem. You come to my premiere and say nice things." The bombs destroyed parts of Japan and killed more than 250,000 people, not to mention more over time as survivors died of the lasting effects of exposure. The dropping of the bombs is credited with ending World War II, and is the only time nuclear weapons have been used in armed conflict. "I don't want to get into the politics of, should it have been dropped, should they have done it, and all the bad things Japan did to warrant it, or any of that kind of moralizing and politicizing," Cameron explained. "I just want to deal in a sense with what happened, almost as if you could somehow be there and survive and see it." Kevin Winter/Getty As for his reason behind the decision to make the film, the Oscar winner believes the message is more important now than ever. "I just think it's so important right now for people to remember what these weapons do. This is the only case where they've been used against a human target," he said. "I want to make a film that just reminds people what these weapons do to people, and how absolutely unacceptable it is to even contemplate using them." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. And while he's not using Nolan or his film as a guidepost, Cameron is looking to another blockbuster auteur for inspiration. "I want to do for what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, what Steven Spielberg did with the Holocaust and D-Day withSaving Private Ryan," he said of the 1998 film, which won Best Picture. "He showed it the way it happened." Cameron is known for his blockbuster, budget-busting films likeTitanicand theAvatarfranchise, he doesn't intend to have theGhosts of Hiroshimafollow in those footsteps. "I don't think it'll be one that'll be quick to make, but I don't see it as a massively budgeted film," he said, adding that "This may be a movie that I make that makes the least of any movie I've ever made, because I'm not going to be sparing, I'm not going to be circumspect." Cameron is currently locked into writing and directingAvatars 3,4and5in the coming years.Avatar: Fire and Ash, the franchise's third installment is set to hit theaters Dec. 19, 2025 with more to follow. Read the original article onPeople
