(Los Angeles) Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on Titanic and the series Avatarhas passed away. He was 63 years old.
Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, announced Mr. Landau’s death in a statement Saturday. No cause of death was given.
“Jon was a visionary whose extraordinary talent and passion brought some of the most unforgettable stories to life on the silver screen. His remarkable contributions to the film industry have left an indelible mark and he will be deeply missed. He was an iconic and successful producer, but an even better person and a true force of nature who inspired everyone around him,” said Bergman.
Jon Landau’s partnership with James Cameron led to three Academy Award nominations and the Best Picture award for “Titanic” in 1997. Together, the duo created some of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history, including Avatar and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water.
Jon Landau’s career began in the 1980s as a production manager, and he gradually worked his way up to a producer role on TitanicJames Cameron’s expensive epic about the infamous disaster.
The bet paid off: Titanic became the first film to gross more than $1 billion at the global box office and won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
“I can’t act, I can’t compose and I can’t do visual effects. I guess that’s why I produce,” Landau said as he accepted the award with the director.
Their partnership continued, with Mr. Landau becoming a senior executive at James Cameron’s company, Lightstorm Entertainment. In 2009, the duo launched Avatara science fiction epic filmed and screened in theaters with revolutionary 3D technology that has surpassed ” Titanic ” at the box office. It is still the highest-grossing film of all time.
His sequel, Avatar: The Way of Wateris third on the list.
Jon Landau was a key player in the franchise Avatarwhich has faced frequent delays in the release of the second installment. He defended the progress of the sequel and Mr. Cameron’s ambitious plans to film multiple sequels at once to keep the franchise going.
“A lot of things have changed, but a lot of things haven’t changed,” Landau told The Associated Press in 2022, a few months before the sequel’s release. “One of the things that hasn’t changed is: Why are people turning to entertainment today? Just like they did when the first one came out.” Avatarthey do it to escape, to escape the world we live in.”
Jon Landau was named executive vice president of feature films at 20th Century Fox at age 29, leading him to oversee major hits such as Home Alone and its sequel, as well as Mrs. Doubtfire And True Lieswhere he began working closely with James Cameron.
Born in New York City on July 23, 1960, Jon Landau was the son of film producers Ely and Edie Landau.
Ely Landau died in 1993. Edie Landau, the Oscar-nominated producer of films such as Long Day’s Journey into Night, Legacy of Lies And The Deadly Gamedied in 2022.
Jon Landau is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Julie, and their sons, Jamie and Jodie.