Jon Landau, the producer of “Avatar” and “Titanic”, dies at 63
Jon Landau, Oscar-winning producer of “Titanic,” “Avatar” and its sequel “The Way of Water,” has died. He was 63 years old. Alan Bergman the Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman who refers to Landau as a “visionary” confirmed Jon Landau’s death
Alan Bergman said that Jon was an extraordinary talent, he had the ability and passion to bring some of the most indelible stories to life on the big screen. His notable contributions to the film industry have left an indelible mark and he will be deeply missed.”He further added that Jon was a better person and described Jon as a true force of nature who is iconic and successful and is an inspiring person to everyone around him.
in the 1980s, Landau began his career in Hollywood, he start working as a production manager and then as a co-producer on such classics as 1990’s “Dick Tracy” and 1989’s “Honey I Shrunk the Kids”
He eventually became a close collaborator of “Titanic” and “Avatar” director James Cameron and joined his production company Lightstorm Entertainment as an executive.
“I can’t act, I can’t compose and I can’t do visual effects, so I guess that’s why I’m producing,” Landau joked alongside Cameron during his acceptance speech when “Titanic” won Best Picture in 1998. ..
During post-production on “The Way of Water” in 2022, Landau told The Associated Press that although the way people consume movies changes, the reason we watch them is the same.
“One of the things that hasn’t changed is: Why do people turn to entertainment today? Just like they did when the first ‘Avatar’ came out, they do it to escape, to escape the world we live in,” he said.
Jon Landau supervised some of the best hits of the ’90s
Landau also oversaw such 1990s hits as “Home Alone,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and Cameron’s “True Lies” after he was named executive vice president of features, by 20th Century Fox when he was only 29 years old.
Landau was born in July 1960 and graduated from the University of Southern California Film School. He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Julie; his children, Jamie and Jodie; and two sisters and a brother. Also read – John Cena will announce his retirement as a WWE Superstar after Wrestlemania 2025
Kate Winslet pays tribute to Jon Landau
Kate Winslet remembered Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water producer Jon Landau following the news of his death at age 63, exclaiming that “his passion for film only deepened with age.”.
Winslet said she has known Landau “since he was 20 years old.”
The British actress, who before Titanic was known for arthouse films such as Sense and Sensibility and Heavenly Creatures, rose to stardom with the 1997 film produced by Landau and directed by James Cameron about the doomed ocean liner, which for a time became the highest grossing film. The film reached $2.2 billion (that title would be ceded to Cameron’s Avatar for $2.92 billion).
Titanic earned Winslet the second Oscar nomination of her career and her first nomination for Best Actress. In Titanic, Winslet played upper-class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater. Although she is engaged to the wealthy Caledon “Cal” Hockley, Rose falls for Leonardo DiCaprio’s poor artist Jack Dawson while she is on board.