One of the most ambitious films from James Cameron and his generation… but it will never see the light of day!

News culture One of the most ambitious films from James Cameron and his generation… but it will never see the light of day!

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James Cameron, that cinema juggernaut

If you ask a few film fans the name of their favorite director, it’s fair to say that many different answers could come up. Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg… Depending on individual taste, many names can be at the top of the podium for the best director of our generation. There is no doubt about that James Cameron would take pride of place. If we have been talking a lot about him lately for his saga AvatarIt must be remembered that this was far from his first success. Start with Terminator In 1984, the Canadian director already announced the color: he was there revolutionize the blockbuster genreand he didn’t stop at this first success.

Aliens are returning, Titanicand finally AvatarJames Cameron has achieved many successes in the cinema, not counting his career as a producer. To celebrate his career and learn a little more about the making of the Canadian director’s projects, There is currently an exhibition dedicated to James Cameron. The latter is available at French Cinematheque in Paris and should stay there until January 5, 2025. Those lucky enough to go there will be able to learn some anecdotes and other filming secrets and even discover some images of a very ambitious project that unfortunately never saw the light of day.

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His most ambitious film will never actually exist

Among the many information you can find out when visiting the exhibition The art of James Cameron In particular, in the Cinémathèque Française in Paris we find some elements that concern the project Xenogenesis. This concept, which could easily have been an ambitious sci-fi film and a potential worldwide success, ultimately failed to materialize was never made into a true feature film

. Conceived between 1977 and 1979 by James Cameron and Randy Frakes, Xenogenesis never found the necessary funding for its production, despite the few images and scraps of script the duo had already created.

Photo credit: Avatar Alliance Foundation

Xenogenesis (whose name means “extraterrestrial origin”) was supposed to be a love story between a man and an alien, which would explore multiple planets while facing their multiple dangers. Ultimately, this synopsis is a bit reminiscent of that of Avatar, even though everything in this saga takes place on the same planet. Aside from that, James Cameron himself says he doesn’t regret Xenogenesis. It must be said that many elements of this project saw the light of day in a different form in several of his films, such as “Alien” or of course “Avatar”. For example, the aerial sharks of the aborted concept may have spawned the Banshees of Pandora, not to mention the blue-skinned aliens. If you would like to learn more about Xenogenesis, we recommend that you visit the respective exhibition if possible

, in the hope that it will later be exported elsewhere in France. In the meantime, you can watch the first Avatar again on Disney+.