Summary
Director James Cameron has a cameo inAvatar, but it is hidden in an unexpected place.Avatarbecame an international sensation upon its release in 2009,soaring to become the top-grossing film of all time worldwide. To date,Avatar’s box officehas brought in over $2.9 billionworldwide, including revenue from its initial run and its 2022 re-release in advance ofAvatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar: The Way of Water’s box officesoared to similar heights, taking in over $2.3 billion worldwide. This total situatesAvatar: The Way of Wateras the third-highest-grossing film of all time. Cameron also has an additional film in the top 5,Titanic, which remains in the no. 4 slot over two decades after its release. Through his various box office successes, Cameron’s directorial vision can be witnessed, but other than his behind-the-scenes work,the director had another role inAvatarthat is not as immediately recognized.
9 Biggest Challenges Avatar 3 Must Overcome To Beat The Way Of Water’s $2.3 Billion Box Office
Avatar 3 could potentially match Avatar: The Way of Water’s box office success, but various factors make this achievement relatively unlikely.
James Cameron Voices An Unseen RDA Pilot In Avatar
Cameron Played This Role in Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water
Cameron’s cameo inAvatarcame in the form of a Resources Development Administration (RDA) pilot. The director provided a voice only for this pilot, as the character is never seen on screen. In the 2009 film,he can be heard over an intercom as the RDA’s ships fly into the skies of Pandora. This role also makes Cameron a villain inAvatar, for his unnamed, unseen character is part of the RDA’s destructive mission. Cameron appears again inAvatar: The Way of Wateras an RDA pilot, who is heard is Colonel Quaritch wakes up.
If he were going to have anAvatarcameo,Cameron made the right decision in making this more understated appearance. The director is famous enough that glimpsing his visage could have taken viewers out of the moment, which would be particularly out-of-place given how immersive the worlds ofAvatarandAvatar: The Way of Waterare supposed to be. Instead, the cameo he chose allows the director to get a brief spotlight without detracting from the wonder of Pandora.
James Cameron’s Avatar Cameo Is Part Of A Long Tradition
James Cameron Has Made Other Cameos
Cameron’s appearances inAvatarandAvatar: The Way of Waterare far from the only times that the director has appeared in his films. Cameron has a long history of making cameos in his movies, extending back toThe Terminatorin 1984. In that film, Cameron provides his voice to an off-screen clerk who checks Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese into a hotel room. Other films in whichCameron cameos includeAliens,The Abyss,Terminator 2: Judgment Day,True Lies, andTitanic. With moreAvatarfilms on the way, Cameron has ample opportunities to return as an RDA agent.
Avatar
Cast
Avatar is a 2009 science fiction film directed by James Cameron. Set in the 22nd century, it follows a paraplegic Marine sent to the moon Pandora on a mission. He becomes conflicted between his orders and defending the indigenous Na’vi civilization.
