Hollywood Mourns: Jon Landau’s Impact on ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’

Director James Cameron expressed great grief at the death of Jon Landau, a 63-year-old long-time producing partner who passed cancer on July 5. For more than thirty years, Cameron and Landau had a close professional relationship, working on legendary movies including the “Avatar” series and “Titanic.”

Cameron added, in a statement to Variety, “The Avatar family grieves the death of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. For almost two decades, his wit, charm, kindness, and tenacity defined our Avatar universe. “His legacy includes not only the films he produced but also the example he set—indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful, and unique,” he said, stressing Landau’s passion for filmmaking and extraordinary personal traits.

Cameron remembered their first working relationship when Landau watched over the 1994 picture “True Lies.” Their collaboration was cemented by the huge popularity of “Titanic” in 1997, the first movie to top $1 billion globally. For creating “Titanic,” both men received Academy Awards.

Landau kept working with Cameron, creating “Avatar” in 2009 and “Avatar: The Way of Water,” in 2022. With box office receipts above “Titanic,” Cameron and Landau became in charge of three of the four highest-grossing movies ever produced. Recent celebrations of their successes at Los Angeles’ Chinese Theatre included a Hand and Footprint Ceremony.

Beyond movies, Landau oversaw Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment’s initiatives including “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” and several print spinoffs as COO. Additionally honoring Landau’s unique genius and significant influence on the film business, Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman and “Avatar” editor Stephen Rivkin both paid tribute.

Colleagues and the whole film community will really miss Landau’s influence and efforts.