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Jon Landau, Producer Behind Titanic And Avatar Passes Away At 63 After Battling Cancer
Jon Landau, who was the producer of many blockbusters like Avatar movies and Titanic is no more. He succumbed after a valiant battle with cancer.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
Jon Landau, who produced the blockbuster Titanic and the Avatar movies, died of cancer on July 5. He was 63 years old.
Academy Award winner Landau, a close ally of director James Cameron, helped create three out of the four highest-grossing films ever made.
Jon Landau had an illustrious career
With Titanic, Landau made cinematic history as it became the first film to break 1 billion USD in global box office sales. This record was broken again in 2009 by Avatar and its 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.
As per Variety, at just 29, Landau earned the title of Executive Vice President for Feature Film Production at Twentieth Century Fox. Some notable productions he oversaw during this period include Die Hard 2, Power Rangers, Last of The Mohicans (1992), and True Lies (1994), which was his first collaboration with Cameron. After leaving Fox, Cameron asked him to join a project initially labeled Planet Ice, which later became the iconic Titanic.
Landau continued his career with Cameron as COO at Lightstorm Entertainment. He supervised various ancillary projects such as Dark Horse Comics’ and Penguin Random House’s print spinoffs from Avatar. He also consulted on Ubisoft’s Avatar game called Frontiers of Pandora as well as Tencent's online game titled Avatar: Reckoning.
Additional producing credits for Landau include Campus Man (1987); Solaris (2002); Alita: Battle Angel (2019).
In an interview conducted in 2022, Landau explicated his hands-on approach to filmmaking stressing how he wanted to be deeply involved throughout every stage of production while also challenging others to surpass themselves.
He told The Hollywood Reporter, "I could never just sit at a desk and sign off on anything. Not just as a producer, but in life. I want to participate, I want to have a voice, I want to have an influence."
The Oscar winner added, "I want to be able to inspire people to go beyond what they think their own capabilities are, for them to feel pride in what we’re doing. I think that’s a very big thing. I never want to be that guy just at a desk anywhere in life.”
Hollywood remembers Jon Landau's remarkable legacy
For the unversed, the producer remained active in the Avatar series until his passing.
Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman said that the visionary left an indelible mark on the movie industry. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh of Wētā FX who worked with him on Avatar talked about how they had worked closely with him for years and was considered dear friend.
Joe Letteri, VFX supervisor stated that he made films that will always be remembered while Stephen Rivkin, an editor noted that his role as a central figure in the Avatar series was not only professional but also had a lasting impact on those around him personally.
Born on July 30, 1960, in New York, Landau’s parents were Ely and Edie Landau who were involved in film producing. He went to USC's School of Cinematic Arts.
Landau is survived by his wife, Julie, and their two children Jamie and Jodie. He also has three sisters Tina, Kathy, and Les.
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