James Cameron Calls Oppenheimer a “Moral Cop-Out” for Not Showing Japanese Bombing Aftermath

James Cameron is best known for directing some of the biggest movies in history, including Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water. He’s used to making films that break records and push technology to new limits.

But now, he’s working on something very different, a serious and emotional project that he says he feels a responsibility to make. It’s based on a true story about the survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan during World War II.

The film is inspired by a new book called Ghosts of Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino, which comes out on August 5, the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. The book tells the story of people who lived through the bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Actor Martin Sheen has signed on to narrate the audiobook. Cameron says he made a promise to one of the last living survivors of the attacks, whom he visited before the man passed away, that he would help tell their story through a film. That promise has stayed with him for over 15 years.

In an interview with Deadline, Cameron explained why this story matters to him. He said he was especially moved by one particular survivor, Kenshi Hirano, a young newlywed who lost his wife in the Hiroshima bombing and then traveled to Nagasaki to bring her remains to her parents, only to get caught in the second bombing.

“I want to tell that story. I want to go on his journey, what that must have meant to him and the loss that he was already feeling,” Cameron said. “There are things that are so touching and so heart-wrenching about the way Charlie frames it.”

Cameron said the book paints a very human picture of what happened and avoids political arguments. “It’s not a political book,” he said. “It’s historical obviously, but it doesn’t try to find the place in history for what Hiroshima and Nagasaki were. It just says, guys, this is what happened.”

He believes this project might not be a box-office hit, but he doesn’t care. He said that telling this story truthfully and respectfully is more important than making a blockbuster. In fact, he’s been collecting ideas and taking notes for over a decade, though he hasn’t written the script yet. He says he’s waiting for the right moment to begin writing.

Cameron also talked about Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer, which was a huge success and won seven Oscars. Though he respected the filmmaking, he said he thought the movie avoided showing the true impact of the bombs.

“I love the filmmaking, but I did feel that it was a bit of a moral cop-out,” Cameron said. “There’s only one brief moment where he sees some charred bodies in the audience, and then the film goes on to show how it deeply moved him. But I felt that it dodged the subject.”

Cameron said he isn’t afraid to show the painful truth, even if it’s uncomfortable to watch. He knows the images and stories might be hard for audiences to handle, but he believes the story should be told in a way that helps people connect with the survivors. He wants the audience to care about the characters and not just feel shocked by the destruction.

“How much hell can an audience absorb and go on to absorb more?” he said. “You’ve got to do it in glimpses, and you’ve got to contextualize it with people that you care about.”

One thing that stayed with him the most was how the survivors treated each other. Even while seriously hurt and in shock, many still tried to help others. “That was their first impulse,” he said. “To help other people. I think that’s an amazing thing, if I could capture that.”

When asked if he had made a promise to the survivor he visited on his deathbed, Cameron admitted he did. “You’re absolutely right,” he said. “Charlie and I both felt in that moment that we were being challenged to accept a duty, to take a baton.”

Cameron said the film won’t need a massive budget, but some visual effects will be necessary to show the large-scale destruction. He also said the movie will be very different from anything he’s done before—but he’s ready for that.

“Somehow, I have to make this happen,” he said. “It won’t be quick to make, but I have to do it.”

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