James Cameron is once again challenging the Academy Awards’ long-standing discomfort with science fiction, calling out what he sees as a pattern of overlooking ambitious genre filmmaking even when it reshapes modern cinema. Speaking recently to The Globe and Mail, the 71-year-old Avatar director made it clear that Oscar recognition has never been his guiding force, particularly when it comes to epic sci-fi storytelling.
“I don’t think about the Academy Awards that much,” Cameron said. “Intentionally, I don’t think about that at this point. I don’t try to make a movie to appeal to their sensibility… they don’t tend to honor films like Avatar or films that are science fiction.”
A Familiar Oscar Pattern for Sci-Fi
Cameron’s comments arrive amid renewed debate over Denis Villeneuve’s repeated snubs in the Best Director category for Dune and Dune: Part Two. While the first Dune earned 10 Oscar nominations and the sequel picked up five, winning for technical achievements like visual effects and sound, Villeneuve himself was never recognized as a director.
To Cameron, that omission is emblematic of a deeper issue.
“Denis Villeneuve made these two magnificent Dune films,” he said. “And apparently these films made themselves because he wasn’t considered as a director, not even by the Directors’ Guild.”
Both Avatar and Dune franchises have followed a similar awards trajectory: strong nomination tallies, technical wins, and massive box office success without ever taking home Best Picture. For Cameron, that contrast exposes what he views as a disconnect between industry accolades and audience impact.
“Like okay, you can play the awards game,” he added, “or you can play the game I like to play and that’s to make movies people actually go to. Sorry!”
Cameron’s Complicated Oscar Legacy
Cameron’s critique carries weight precisely because of his own Oscar history. His 1997 epic Titanic remains one of the most decorated films in Academy history, earning 14 nominations and winning 11 including Best Picture and Best Director. That puts it alongside Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as the most Oscar-winning films of all time.
Yet even with that legacy, Cameron argues that science fiction as a genre continues to be undervalued by awards bodies. Until Everything Everywhere All at Once won Best Picture in 2023, no sci-fi film had ever claimed the Academy’s top prize an absence Cameron believes speaks volumes.
“What I try to do, and what I’ve always tried to do for my entire filmmaking career,” he explained, “is to create the most riveting and engaging experience in a movie theatre that I can conceivably, humanly do.”
Villeneuve’s Snub Sparks Industry Frustration
Villeneuve’s omission has been widely labeled one of the most glaring Oscar oversights in recent years. Actor Josh Brolin, who stars in the Dune films, publicly pleaded with Academy voters not to repeat the mistake after the sequel’s release.
“If he doesn’t get nominated this year, I’ll quit acting,” Brolin said before nominations were announced. When Villeneuve was again left out, Brolin responded with equal parts sarcasm and resignation, calling the decision baffling while praising the filmmaker’s work as “masterful.”
Cameron echoed that sentiment, framing the snub not as a personal slight but as evidence of how genre films, no matter how visionary, are often boxed out of top-tier recognition.
Clearing the Air on Matt Damon and Avatar
Beyond awards talk, Cameron also addressed a long-circulating Hollywood myth: that Matt Damon turned down the lead role in Avatar along with a lucrative percentage of the film’s profits. According to Cameron, that narrative simply isn’t true.
“He was never offered the part,” Cameron stated, explaining that Damon was committed to filming The Bourne Ultimatum at the time. While the two discussed working together, Cameron said the conversation never reached the point of character details or formal offers.
“There was never a deal,” he said. “It was simply an availability issue.”
Sam Worthington ultimately took on the role of Jake Sully, and Avatar went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion worldwide. Still, Cameron expressed nothing but respect for Damon, praising him for personally explaining his situation rather than letting agents handle it.
“That’s an honorable guy,” Cameron said. “I’d love to work with him someday.”
Audience First, Always
As Avatar: Fire and Ash continues its theatrical run, Cameron remains steadfast in his philosophy: awards may come and go, but audience connection is what truly matters. For him, the real victory lies in packed theaters and immersive experiences, not statues.
In an industry often torn between prestige and popularity, Cameron’s stance is clear. Science fiction, in his view, doesn’t need validation from awards bodies to prove its worth it already has the audience.
