Prolific producer Jon Landau, who passed away last Friday, was identified for his longtime partnership with filmmaker James Cameron—and together with his loss, Hollywood is now with out among the finest minds in cinema. Landau was at work on the upcoming Avatar sequels with Cameron, having teamed with the director on an enormous legacy of movies together with the primary two installments of Pandora’s sci-fi universe, in addition to True Lies and Titanic. A few of his different credit embody Honey, I Shrunk the Children, Solaris, and Alita: Battle Angel.
Cameron launched an announcement in remembrance to his pal via the Hollywood Reporter, which learn partially: “An incredible producer and an incredible human being has left us. Jon Landau believed within the dream of cinema. He believed that movie is the final word human artwork type, and to make movies you need to first be human your self. He will likely be remembered as a lot for his huge generosity of spirit as for the films themselves.”
Cameron went on to explain how very important Landau was to their work, in addition to the whole leisure business. “I labored with Jon Landau for 31 years and I by no means noticed him downcast as soon as,” he continued. “He led with a stability of humor and fierce will, and true pleasure within the work. Once I met him, he was the studio ‘swimsuit’ assigned to supervise True Lies in ’93. Within the midst of the logistical nightmare of that manufacturing we got here to respect and revel in one another. A bond cast in fireplace. I lured him away from Fox to affix my manufacturing firm, Lightstorm and collectively we then tackled Titanic, a manufacturing as bold and seemingly ill-fated because the ship itself. Jon bore the brunt of the studio strain and gave his all to offer the time and assets for me to make the movie I noticed in my head. From that we turned brothers in arms. We believed we may clear up any manufacturing drawback. The subsequent mountain we climbed was Avatar, a manufacturing that extra resembled the Manhattan Mission… making up new physics as we went alongside. Mastering a model new methodology to inform tales. Once more Jon gave his all, and by no means misplaced religion that we have been doing one thing extraordinary and that we’d someway prevail. Within the course of we not solely made a movie, we cast a household. Jon was the center of the Avatar household, together with his humor, generosity and massive capability to make individuals really feel valued and ‘seen.’ He gave everybody a way of function and belonging. And this continued via the making of the sequels. It’s unimaginable to convey how a lot our tight knit group will miss this man, this pressure of nature… the middle of gravity of our little bubble universe. Jon created a neighborhood, a household, on Avatar and at Lightstorm, however not on the expense of his circle of relatives, who have been at all times his highest precedence.”
“The Avatar household grieves the lack of our pal and chief, Jon Landau. His zany humor, private magnetism, nice generosity of spirit and fierce may have held the middle of our Avatar universe for nearly 20 years. His legacy isn’t just the movies he produced, however the… pic.twitter.com/fsR77qHoO2
— Avatar (@officialavatar) July 7, 2024
Cameron closed out his assertion with a farewell dedication: “Jon was my proper hand and I used to be his. Lately we turned a trapeze act… whole interdependence, whole belief, whole synchronization. We turned not solely the closest of working companions, however the closest of buddies. My final message to him was not solely that I cherished him however that I missed our each day dialogue. We might discuss 20 occasions a day, normally in his workplace which he positioned strategically between mine and the set. Fixing each drawback that got here alongside. Jon had the power to inform me once I was flawed, and I discovered over time to belief that he was proper. Jon cherished his work, and cherished the individuals round him, the superb workforce he had constructed. Day by day was joyful battle, in opposition to entropy—the chaos that threatens to unravel each human endeavor. The middle at all times held, below Jon’s watchful eye. We fought via the pandemic collectively to ship Avatar: The Means of Water. Collectively, we thought we may clear up something. However you possibly can’t clear up the fragility of life itself. I’m grateful for yearly, day-after-day, each minute we had collectively. I’m grateful for the idea he had in me and what his partnership allowed us to perform collectively. Part of myself has been torn away. However the superb workforce he assembled and led nonetheless stays, and we are going to dedicate ourselves to fulfilling Jon’s legacy. Not simply the movies but to come back, however the love and connection that binds the Avatar and Lightstorm household collectively.”
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