James Cameron wasted little time in quelling rumors that he’s going to take part in an OceanGate film or series about the Titan submersible disaster.
There have been reports that a streaming network has contacted the acclaimed filmmaker about telling the story of the tragedy that left five people dead when the Titan imploded during a journey to the Titanic wreckage last month.
‘I don’t respond to offensive rumors in the media usually, but I need to now,’ Cameron, 68, wrote in a statement posted on his Instagram Stories on Saturday, July 15. ‘I’m NOT in talks about an OceanGate film, nor will I ever be.’
The Titanic director also shared that very same statement on his official Twitter account.
Along with being an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Cameron is also a submarine enthusiast who has traveled to the Titanic wreckage 30 times.
Rejected! James Cameron, 68, denied he’s in talks to work on an OceanGate film about the Titan submersible disaster
The OceanGate sub lost communications with its support vessel on Sunday, June 18, which subsequently set off a search of the oceans for days.
That hunt would end up being called off on June 22, when crews found debris on the ocean floor that likely was caused by a ‘catastrophic implosion, assumed to be that of Titan.’
Five people were aboard the Titan when it disappeared and ultimately imploded on Father’s Day: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, British Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.
During the search through the wreckage, the U.S. Coast Guard reported to have also found ‘presumed human remains’, which were ultimately shipped for further analysis and testing.
In the wake of the tragedy gripping the world over, The Sun reported that an insider had named Cameron as a major streaming giant’s top choice to helm the project.
‘The Titan disaster is already being looked at as a major series for one of the world’s biggest streamers — and James is first choice for director,’ a source told the paper, before adding, ‘It is a subject close to his heart.’
Initially, after confirmation that the passengers were presumed dead, Cameron went public and revealed how the diving community were ‘deeply concerned’ about the submersible’s safety before the expedition.
‘A number of the top players in the deep submergence engineering community even wrote letters to the company, saying that what they were doing was too experimental to carry passengers and that it needed to be certified,’ he told ABC in an interview in June., as reported by People.
Instagram denial: The Academy Award winner not only denied he was in talks about an OceanGate project, but he also went a step further and added, ‘Nor will I ever be’
Adventurer: The Titanic director is also an expert on deep-sea exploration, resulting in him having traveled to the actual Titanic wreckage 30 times
Titan tragedy: The OceanGate sub lost communications with its support vessel on Sunday, June 18, and ultimately the five passengers aboard were presumed to be dead on June 22 when crews found debris on the ocean floor that likely was caused by a ‘catastrophic implosion, assumed to be that of Titan
RIP: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, was among the five people killed while traveling on the Titan to the Titanic wreckage that’s more than 12, 500 feet below the ocean surface, which equates to 2.36 miles
The Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada native went on to make a connection between the circumstances behind the OceanGate and Titanic tragedies.
Cameron pointed to the similarities of the Titanic, which sank back in 1912, and its captain who was ‘repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night and many people died as a result.’
The Avatar writer and director continued, ‘For us, it’s a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded. To take place at the same exact site with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing,’ he explained. ‘It’s really quite surreal.’
OceanGate Inc. is an American privately owned company based in Everett, Washington, that has provided crewed submersibles for tourism, industry, research, and exploration. The company was founded in 2009 by Stockton Rush, who was among the five killed in Titan, and Guillermo Söhnlein.
