Before Avatar: Fire and Ashes opens in theaters around the world, director James Cameron wants moviegoers to know that no generative AI was used in the making of the sequel. In an interview with ComicBook.com, the Oscar winner said he spoke out about the issue not because he had a vendetta against generative AI, but because he has a problem with people who think performance capture technology is using something other than real human actors to bring the Avatar characters to life.
“I’m not negative about generative AI,” Cameron said. “I just wanted to point out that we don’t use that word in the ‘Avatar’ movies. We celebrate and celebrate actors. We don’t replace actors. It’s going to find its level. I think Hollywood will self-police on that. We will find a way to get through it. But we can only find a way to get through it as artists if we exist. So what worries me more than all of that is the existential threat from the big AI.”
Cameron and his “Avatar” actors have spent decades showing the industry just how authentic the acting in the series is. Zoe Saldaña, who plays Neytiri in the movie Avatar, told Beyond Noise earlier this year that performance capture is “the most empowering form of acting” because “it gives us credibility and the ability to own 100 percent of our performance on screen.”
“Performance capture means that ‘Avatar’ wouldn’t exist if Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, myself, and the entire cast hadn’t stood up and put dots on our faces,” she said. “From archery, martial arts, freediving and scuba diving where you can hold your breath underwater for more than five minutes, to a language that[James]invented from the sky, to physical training with former gymnasts, circus performers and acrobats to learn how to walk like extraterrestrials…this is all of us, a group of amazing stunt actors who make our characters feel bionic. God bless them.” With the technology that Jim creates, he gives complete ownership to the artists. ”
Cameron told Variety in 2024 as part of Saldaña’s cover story that it was overdue for her work as Neytiri in the Avatar series to be recognized at the Oscars.
“I’ve worked with many Academy Award-winning actors, but Zoe’s work has never been better,” the director said. “But in my movie, she plays a ‘CG character,’ so that makes no sense in a way. To me, it makes no sense at all. She can go from imposing to completely feral in two nanoseconds. This woman is ferocious. She’s one hell of a lioness.”
Cameron remains dedicated to human performers when it comes to acting in movies. He told CBS Sunday Morning last month that it was “terrifying” how generative AI could now create artificial actors on screen.
“We have generative AI, and we can craft characters,” Cameron said. “They can craft an actor. They can craft a performance from scratch using text prompts. It’s like no. That’s scary to me.”
But Cameron isn’t completely anti-AI when it comes to Hollywood. He announced in September 2024 that he will be joining the board of directors of Stability AI, the company that developed the text-to-image model Stable Diffusion. Cameron explained his interest in AI earlier this year on the Boss to the Future podcast, saying the future of blockbuster filmmaking depends on “cutting[VFX]costs in half.” The director has openly admitted that he is looking for ways to responsibly incorporate AI into VFX workflows.
“If I want to continue to see the movies that I’ve always loved and that I love making and that I’m going to continue to see, like Dune and Dune Part 2, or any of the big movies that are heavy on my work and effects and CG, I have to figure out a way to cut the cost in half,” he said at the time. “This isn’t about firing half the staff and the effects company. It’s about doubling the speed at which certain shots get done, so the cadence is faster, the throughput cycle is faster, and the artists can move on and do other great things and then do some other great things. That’s my vision.”
For Cameron, the intersection of AI and Hollywood is in the post-production process, not the actual filmmaking or development process. In an interview with CTV News, the director expressed doubts that AI could write “good stories” and phased out screenwriters.
According to Cameron, “Personally, I don’t believe that disembodied minds just regurgitate what other disembodied minds have said about their lives, about love, about lies, about fear, about mortality. They just throw it out in a word salad…I never believe that it’s going to be something that moves an audience. You have to be human to write it.” I don’t know anyone who would consider having an AI write a script. ”
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released in theaters on December 19th by Disney and 20th Century Studios.
