James Cameron, the director behind the Avatar series, has made waves with his criticism of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, calling it “a bit of a moral cop out.” The comments came as Cameron discussed his upcoming project, Ghosts of Hiroshima, a film inspired by Charles Pellegrino’s book about a man who survived both atomic bombings of Japan during World War II.
Cameron, the second-highest-grossing film director in history, revealed that he would be stepping away from Avatar to focus on this “uncompromising” film.
The film will delve into the haunting legacy of the bombings, depicting the experience of a survivor who lived through both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks. While the book is set to release on August 5, Cameron has yet to begin writing the script, though he outlined the thematic direction in a recent Deadline interview.
When asked about Oppenheimer’s box office success and seven-Oscar haul, Cameron offered a critical but thoughtful take on Nolan’s approach to the subject. “Yeah… it’s interesting what he stayed away from,” Cameron noted. He elaborated, saying the film glossed over the moral consequences of the atomic bombings, which he believes is a crucial part of the story. Cameron expressed frustration with what he saw as a missed opportunity to explore the full impact of the bombs. “It’s not like Oppenheimer didn’t know the effects,” he said, referring to a brief scene in which the physicist sees charred bodies, but the film quickly moves on. “I don’t know whether the studio or Chris felt that that was a third rail they didn’t want to touch, but I want to go straight at the third rail. I’m just stupid that way,” Cameron added.
This criticism echoes previous remarks made by filmmaker Spike Lee, who suggested that the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki deserved more attention in the film. However, Nolan has defended his work, stating that the focus of Oppenheimer is on the title character and his subjective experience of the events, not the full scope of the bombings. “It was always my intention to rigidly stick to that,” Nolan explained in a 2023 interview.
Despite his reservations about Nolan’s film, Cameron emphasized that he’s willing to take on the challenge of depicting the horrors of the atomic bombings in a future film. “Okay, I’ll put up my hand,” he said, inviting Nolan to attend the premiere and offer support. But for now, Cameron’s project remains in the early stages, with the script still to be written. He has already expressed that his approach will be unflinching, drawing inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in its depiction of historical violence.
The director is acutely aware of the challenge ahead. “How much hell can an audience absorb and go on to absorb more?” Cameron mused. He intends to find a balance between confronting the horror of the bombings while maintaining a narrative flow that will keep audiences engaged. The film promises to be a bold, no-holds-barred exploration of one of history’s most harrowing moments, but Cameron recognizes the need to keep the audience engaged without overwhelming them. The director also acknowledged that this could be a risky project, potentially becoming his least financially successful film due to the uncompromising nature of the story.
While it may take time for Ghosts of Hiroshima to hit theaters, Cameron’s directorial vision offers a bold counterpoint to the more restrained approach of Oppenheimer. As the world awaits more details on the project, it’s clear that Cameron’s commitment to the truth, no matter how uncomfortable, will be at the heart of the film.