The Many Lives of James Cameron (So Far)

Our journey into James Cameron’s universe begins at Lightstorm Entertainment in Manhattan Beach, California, the independent production company founded by the Canadian director, technologist, and explorer in 1990. Inside, it looks more like a museum than a film studio. To reach Cameron’s office, you first walk through a hangar filled with an extensive collection of movie props. Life-size statues of Jake and Neytiri, the blue protagonists of the Avatar saga, stand alongside the steel skeleton of the Terminator, a replica of the infamous Queen from Aliens, and two models of the Titanic—both the massive structure used for underwater shots and the wreck featured in Cameron’s documentary on the doomed ship. These displays set the stage for our meeting with the filmmaker.