It is one of the laws of cinema that all franchises run out of steam and become locked on a glide slope of diminishing returns. Avatar still rules the box office, but it is clear that the glide slope remains undefeated. So James Cameron might be wondering what to do next, after dedicating a significant proportion of his life to Pandora. It may be that he returns to a previous favorite project – Fanstastic Voyage.
It took Cameron decades to get both Battle Angel Alita and Avatar from idea to reality, so this could be no different.
The original Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 sci-fi classic. A scientist who holds the secret of miniaturisation technology is injured and left comatose with a blood clot in his brain. A team of specialists is shrunk and travels inside his body to try to heal the dangerous clot.
It is also famous for Raquel Welch in a form-fitting wetsuit. Richard Fleischer helmed the original, which also starred Stephen Boyd, Edmond O’Brien, Donald Pleasence, and Arthur Kennedy.
For a summary version, simply watch The Mighty Boosh episode Journey To The Centre Of The Punk.
Cameron has been circling the remake as a producer since the 1990s. Guillermo del Toro, Paul Greengrass, Roland Emmerich, and Shawn Levy all passed through the revolving door of directors. David S. Goyer was also linked to the Cameron/del Toro version, which Goyer previously revealed got halted by shenanigans at the studio – Fox.
In an interview with Deadline this week, Cameron said:
“I’ve been nurturing that for a while. I hope to get that going this coming year. I’ll be producing it. I’m working with a director right now with a new script. So, yeah, we’re gonna do it.”
With the momentum slowing from Avatar, and with the fourth and fifth instalments still not confirmed, could Cameron pivot?
