James Cameron may not direct anything except for Avatar‘s sequels for the next couple of years, but once he is done, he might consider helming on an exciting remake. In a filmmaking career spanning over four decades, James Cameron has delivered several blockbusters, like The Terminator, Titanic, Avatar, and Aliens. His long line of successful films proves that no matter what he directs next, it is bound to be successful.
What makes James Cameron’s directorial career even more fascinating is that Avatar‘s first two installments are the only full-fledged feature films he has directed since 1997’s Titanic. His commitment to the Avatar franchise and its ambitious sequels suggests he may not direct any new films till he concludes his vision for the saga. However, when that is out of the way, it seems likely that he might focus on a long-awaited remake.
Although James Cameron has given some positive updates surrounding the Fantastic Voyage remake, the film will likely come with its own set of challenges. Despite being released in 1966, the original Fantastic Voyage still holds up because of its imaginative vision and ability to create a serious and genuinely terrifying drama out of a concept that might seem insincere on paper. While the film’s visual effects may be a little dated, it makes up for it with the high-stakes and compelling conflicts in its storyline. Owing to this, the remake will have high standards to live up to.
Considering how it has been nearly six decades since the original Fantastic Voyage‘s release, VFX has significantly advanced, allowing the remake’s filmmakers to create stunning visuals of the inner workings of the human body presented in the original. However, with the advent of the internet and easy access to vast information, the remake will have to be careful about taking too many scientific liberties. Because it came out in the ’60s, Fantastic Voyage avoided facing criticism for its unrealistic aspects. The remake, however, will be judged with completely different expectations.
Owing to this, Fantastic Voyage‘s remake will have to ensure that its depiction of the human body is scientifically accurate to be taken seriously. Apart from accuracy, the remake, like the original, will have to present itself in a way that is entertaining and not too educational, which may be hard to achieve if it does not dare to suspend the viewers’ suspension of disbelief. Therefore, the Fantastic Voyage remake has to strike the right balance between accuracy and entertainment value, which sounds simple but may be difficult to execute.
James Cameron has been interested in the Fantastic Voyage remake for decades. However, his commitment to developing the Avatar franchise has held him back. As per new updates (via Variety), he and his partner Jon Landau “plan to go ahead with it very soon,” making it hard not to wonder if he would be willing to direct the remake. While that may be possible, Cameron still seems invested in Avatar‘s future installments. Since three new Avatar sequels are yet to premiere and will occupy the director’s schedule till 2031, it is uncertain if he would have the bandwidth to accommodate another potentially big-scale project.
Apart from James Cameron, other directors like Guillermo del Toro and Paul Greengrass have also been associated with the project. However, Greengrass dropped out of the project in 2010, while Guillermo del Toro decided to postpone working on the film to focus on The Shape of Water. After all these years, if James Cameron is not able to direct the Fantastic Voyage remake, Guillermo del Toro could hopefully pick the project. The film could benefit from his knack for VFX and his ability to bring offbeat but compelling fantasy movies like Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and Pinocchio to life.
Given how the Fantastic Voyage remake has been in development since Titanic, it will likely continue progressing at a snail’s pace. This might allow Cameron to direct it since Avatar 5 will be his final film in the franchise, and he has also claimed he has no plans to do more of them after that. Avatar 5 is currently scheduled to release sometime in 2031, but production delays could further push back its release. Hopefully, once the Avatar franchise is out of the way, James Cameron will get to invest his energy in the Fantastic Voyage remake, making it his first post-Avatar film.