James Cameron Went To Great Lengths To Fool the Studios About Titanic By Using a Ridiculous “Decoy” Title
Legendary filmmaker James Cameron did not grow up wanting to be a filmmaker. In fact, he worked quite a few odd jobs such as driving trucks and working as a janitor in a high school. He did not have any formal education about filmmaking, but he managed to learn all these things by reading other students’ works at the library. It was his excitement about the 1977 Star Wars movie that led him to pursue filmmaking, a job he excels at.
Fast forward to 1997, James Cameron was making an over-budget movie that had exceeded its schedule. This movie was none other than Titanic which became the first movie to touch the billion-dollar mark in terms of box office earnings. There are numerous stories surrounding the movie’s making; one of them is that Cameron initially had a different title for it.
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James Cameron Allegedly Used a Different Title for Titanic Initially
Titanic is a romantic disaster movie that is not only directed but also written, co-edited, and produced by James Cameron. Based on the accounts of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, the movie is an amalgamation of historical facts as well as fiction.
Cameron is one of those directors who gets done whatever he wants, mostly on his terms. So much so that he had little issue in convincing 20th Century Fox to make Titanic. Now, the movie was not always known by the title that was finally used. In fact, it was pitched as Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic to the studio.
According to ALLWOMENSTALK, James Cameron shot footage of icebergs off the coast of Nova Scotia, where the filming for the movie had begun in late July 1996, under the pretense of making a film named Planet Ice. Allegedly, this title was used as the film’s brief “decoy” working title. Thankfully, the movie was finally released as Titanic on December 19, 1997, and won millions of hearts worldwide with a record-breaking box office collection.
James Cameron’s Inspiration for Making Titanic Was Not a Love Story
Titanic follows the story of two star-crossed lovers, Jack Dawson (portrayed by Leonardo Di Caprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (portrayed by Kate Winslet) from two different societal classes who fall for each other during the ship’s maiden voyage. Years later, a treasure hunter comes across an old Rose in search of a very precious necklace and uncovers the story of the disastrous night the ship sank and Rose’s romance with Jack.
While the love story is what makes the movie so impactful, James Cameron did not make the movie for that purpose. In fact, his inspiration was to explore the wreckage of the RMS Titanic due to his fascination with shipwrecks. In an interview with Playboy in 2009, Cameron said:
“I made ‘Titanic’ because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie. The Titanic was the Mount Everest of shipwrecks, and as a diver, I wanted to do it right.”
When he found out that some people had dived into the Titanic to make an IMAX movie, he decided that he would make a Hollywood movie and would get the sea expedition paid for. One thing led to another and all of it culminated into a blockbuster movie.
