Movies

After 17 years with Avatar, James Cameron has revealed his next project, which is not what you would expect

Cameron leaves Pandora behind to tell the story of a Hiroshima survivor.

Update: May 7th, 2025 18:35 CEST

After devoting more than 17 years of his prolific career to expanding the Avatar universe — a saga renowned for its technical innovations and state-of-the-art visual effects — James Cameron has his sights set on his next major project. No, it’s not another adventure with blue aliens; rather, it’s a deep dive into one of the darkest chapters in human history.

From Pandora to Earth: Cameron’s Next Project

According to a recent report from Deadline, Cameron will adapt Charles Pellegrino’s ‘Ghosts of Hiroshima’ for the big screen. The book reconstructs the devastating events of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in great historical and archeological detail. This project is especially poignant because it focuses on the incredible true story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a man who miraculously survived both nuclear explosions. Pellegrino, an author, scientist, and frequent collaborator of Cameron’s, offers a visceral account in his book with a deeply human approach that puts the reader in the shoes of those who lived through these extraordinary events. Cameron will combine ‘Ghosts’ and Pellegrino’s 2015 book ‘Last Train from Hiroshima’ into a single film.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi

There is no confirmed start date for production yet, as the director is still working on the Avatar saga. Remember that Avatar: Fire and Ash—the third installment—will be released later this year. However, Cameron has stated that this is a project he has wanted to work on for years and that meeting Tsutomu Yamaguchi shortly before his death made him feel a deep sense of responsibility. “He was handing the baton of his personal story to us, so I have to do it. I can’t turn away from it,” the filmmaker explained.