In the landscape of modern Hollywood, there are few directors who have enjoyed the success James Cameron has between the financial success of many of his films or seeing technology he helped pioneer proliferate all across the film industry. Cameron, like many directors, also had a producing partner who helped bring these visions to life, a partner Cameron has paid tribute to in the wake of their passing.
Remembering Jon Landau
It was reported on Friday that former film executive and James Cameron's longtime producing partner Jon Landau had passed away at the age of 63 due to cancer, though it was not reported how long he had been sick for. Cameron didn't waste time, sharing a statement shortly after Landau's death was announced publicly to express his own sadness over the loss of his longtime partner and friend according to ABC News.
“The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader. His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique,” Cameron said in the public statement. “He produced great films, not by wielding power but by spreading warmth and the joy of making cinema. He inspired us all to be and to bring our best, every day. I have lost a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years. A part of myself has been torn away.”
A Life in Hollywood
Landau spent most of his adult life working on the executive side of Hollywood, moving his way up through 20th Century Fox to become executive vice president of feature film production in 1990 at the age of 29. He would spend the first half of the 1990s at the studio and it was in this position he would first meet James Cameron as Landau oversaw production of 1994's True Lies.
After departing 20th Century Fox in the mid-90s, Cameron would approach Landau with a script for his next film after True Lies. This would turn out to be 1997's Titanic and would become the first of seven films Cameron and Landau worked on together, including three of the top four highest-grossing films of all time.
The partnership would lead to Landau becoming the chief operating officer of Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, where he spent more recent years overseeing the expansion of the Avatar brand after the success of the first film in 2009. He would be involved in some manner with many of the novels, comics, and the 2023 Ubisoft game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Landau is survived by his wife, Julie, and their two children, Jamie and Jodie.
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