James Cameron’s 1966 Sci-Fi Movie Remake Gets Surprising Update 17 Years Later

Summary

• James Cameron’s ​​
  Fantastic Voyage
  remake gets an update after 17 years.
• The filmmaker says that he and his parter Jon Landau are moving forward with the project soon.
• It is unclear whether Cameron will direct or produce the project, though he will likely produce.

James Cameron’s Fantastic Voyage remake has received a positive update after 17 years. In 1997, he previously expressed interest in remaking the iconic 1966 science fiction movie, in which a crew is shrunk down to microscopic size so they can explore a scientist’s body in a submarine and remove a blood clot from his brain. While Cameron abandoned the project around 2007 to work on Avatar, he remained on board as a producer, though versions helmed by Roland Emmerich and Guillermo del Toro remained in production hell and were eventually scrapped.

Per Variety, the unmade James Cameron movie may still have a future after all. The filmmaker recently spoke about the Fantastic Voyage remake during a masterclass he performed at Paris’ Cinematheque Française, where he hinted that he and his partner Jon Landau “plan to go ahead with it very soon.” He joked that original star Raquel Welch, who died in 2023 at the age of 82, is “not available,” but he expressed his confidence in the project and their ability to bring it to life. Read his full quote below:

We’ve been developing it for a number of years, and we plan to go ahead with it very soon. Raquel Welch is not available, but we think we can make a pretty good movie.

James Cameron Is Still A Perfect Fit For Fantastic Voyage

Fantastic Voyage Plays To The Iconic Filmmaker’s Strengths

Although Fantastic Voyage was adapted into an animated show in 1968, any other attempts to bring a follow-up movie to the screen have constantly fizzled out for decades. However, this update on the remake reignites the possibility that the movie could finally happen with one of the best stewards possible. It seems unlikely that Cameron intends to direct the project, as he has his schedule full with the upcoming Avatar movies, but even in a producer capacity, he is a perfect fit for the movie.

Avatar
remains the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide, with it sequel
The Way of Water
at No. 3 on the same chart.

Throughout his career, which spans titles including The Terminator, Aliens, Avatar, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Cameron has showcased his ability to bring bleeding-edge special effects to the screen, which is a perfect skill for reinterpreting this update of the iconic 1960s movie. In developing the project, Cameron could also bring his expertise in deep-sea exploration, which he has utilized many times but particularly in The Abyss, Avatar: The Way of Water, and 1997’s Titanic. In fact, it is likely no coincidence that the first news about his attachment to the project came during the same year as Titanic‘s release.

By combining realistic effects with a truthful approach to undersea exploration applied to the human body, Fantastic Voyage could become an immersive thrill ride at a level that far exceeds the original classic. It still remains to be seen if the movie ever actually comes to fruition. However, Cameron’s confidence in the project seems to imply that they are having active conversations about the remake, which could mean that there is more news coming on that front quite soon.

Source: Variety