James Cameron’s Pitch For Titanic Was Only 5 Words Long (And Worked Instantly)

Back in 1997, James Cameron brought the story of Titanic to the world stage. With a total running time of over three hours, the film was an epic, telling the story of the ship and using fictionalised characters to depict the wide range of passengers on the ship.

It was a real moment in movie history and one that many of us remember being a part of. I was only seven at the time and still distinctly remember the music and the magic of Titanic. Kate Winslet’s dresses, Leonardo Dicaprio’s 90’s curtain hair, the stunning interiors of the ship and of course, the politics woven throughout.

It is still celebrated to this day, almost 30 years later (sorry) because there hasn’t quite been a film like it since. However, the original pitch for the film is… not quite what you would likely expect.

Make no mistake, James Cameron is nothing if not a shipwreck obsessive. He is a famously passionate director and this film was no exception. In fact, he has released a book called Exploring the Deep, which provides his accounts of exploring the shipwreck.

According to Encyclopaedia Titanica: “Having undertaken more than thirty dives to the wreck of Titanic, acclaimed director James Cameron has probably gained more firsthand insight into the sinking of the ship than any person alive today.”

Speaking to Hollywood Insider, James said about the making of the film: “One of the best reference books at the time, was a beautiful book called The History of Titanic that was done by Ken Marshall and Don Lynch.

“Don Lynch was the history, Ken Marshall the preeminent artist. If you open that book in the middle… There’s a painting of the Titanic in the middle stages of its sinking, beautifully lit, lifeboats leaving, rockets going off, illuminating the night sky. It’s somber, it’s sad, it’s beautiful, it’s spectacular.”

Of course, we are all familiar with this image from the film itself but this was the very beginning of creating the film as James reveals that he spoke to an executive, opened the book on that dramatic page and said: “Romeo and Juliet… on that.”

That’s right, Romeo and Juliet, another story that brought Leo to the mainstream, heavily inspired the love story in Titanic.

Star-crossed lovers, forbidden relationships and a tragic ending… that checks out.