Titanic

James Cameron: Man of Tomorrow, Part VI

In the mid-1990s, James Cameron set out to make a sweeping romantic epic set aboard the most infamous shipwreck in history. What followed was one of the most chaotic and troubled productions in Hollywood history — and one of the most astonishing success stories ever.

TITANIC was supposed to be a disaster — a wildly over-budget passion project from a notoriously obsessive director. The tabloids had a field day. The studio panicked. But when the film finally premiered in late 1997, it became a box office phenomenon, a cultural landmark, and the highest-grossing movie of all time.

In these episodes, we track the origins of TITANIC, how James Cameron pitched a doomed love story with cutting-edge effects, what went wrong (and right) during filming, and how the film’s legacy continues to loom over cinema today. We also examine how Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were launched into superstardom, and how TITANIC forever changed James Cameron’s reputation — and the movie industry itself.

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Next Episode: James Cameron’s 12-Year Intermission.

Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.