As James Cameron decides what he’ll direct next after the mega-success of “Avatar,” one project presumably out of the running is the film adaptation of “The Last Train From Hiroshima: A Survivor’s Look Back.”
Back in January, it was announced that Cameron had purchased an option on the book with his own cash, leading many to speculate it might be his next directing gig. The non-fiction book, by longtime Cameron collaborator Charles Pellegrino, takes place over two days and uses eyewitness accounts to tell the story of the first atomic blast firsthand. However, questions about the existence of certain witnesses in the book and even Pellegrino’s own credentials (on his website he claims to have received a Ph.D. in 1982 from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, but the school says he never got one) have forced publishers, Henry Holt & Company, to cancel publication. Not only had the book received massive amounts of advance praise, but Cameron himself even volunteered a blurb for the cover.
With this news however, any impending film is most certainly dead and we doubt Cameron will be answering calls from Pellegrino anytime soon. The director had previously penned introductions to “Ghosts Of The Titanic” and “The Jesus Family Tomb” by the author.
We doubt Cameron is going to let this news dampen his day too much. In less than a week he’ll be partying with the rest of Hollywood at the Oscars. And most certainly, his venture into the literary world, penning the “Avatar” prequel, will end with a much happier ending than Pellegrino’s.
Thank goodness theaters or book shelves won't be blighted with this revisionist tripe.