James Cameron and the Return to Action Outside of Avatar

For once, James Cameron is not being discussed in relation to Avatar or other past works. The Canadian director and producer has decided to support Painter, a new action film recently acquired by 20th Century Studios, which marks the directorial debut of stunt coordinator Garrett Warren.

The production is supervised by Cameron and originated from an idea by Derek Kolstad — creator of John Wick — a guarantee of frenetic action and constant tension. The protagonists of the work will be Amber Midthunder, the breakout star of Prey, and Walton Goggins, fresh from the success of The White Lotus and Fallout.

Action and Drama Away from Avatar

The story follows a young woman trained since childhood to survive in extreme conditions. When her father is kidnapped, she will have to put everything she has learned to the test to save him. A classic genre plot, but one that aims to balance adrenaline and sentiment, an approach that Cameron seems to want to re-launch in the Hollywood landscape.

Already a collaborator of Cameron in Avatar: The Way of Water and a stuntman in films like Logan and Road House, with Warren, we might see action sequences with an authentic flavor and a physical approach to directing. Born as a proposal at the American Film Market, the project immediately attracted attention for its “old-school” energy.

With such a production, Kolstad on the screenplay, and two rising stars, Painter promises to be a return to action cinema with heart, where emotion is as valuable as the action.

Cameron, for his part, will also direct a drama-thriller titled The Informationist, the story of an information specialist hired by a Texan oil billionaire to find his daughter who disappeared in Africa four years prior.