A man named Tstutomu Yamaguchi died earlier this month. His significance? He's the only human being on record to have survived both nuclear bomb blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, despite being at ground zero for both explosions. A book about his life, titled "Last Train to Hiroshima," written by Charles Pellegrino, was released on January 19th. On August 6, 1945, Yamaguchi suffered serious burns to the upper half of his body when he was in Hiroshima. After that incident, he returned to Nagasaki, his hometown, which was bombed three days later. Ever since this experience, he has written books and songs about the experience, and has also spoken at the United Nations. For a long time, he has been a campaigner for nuclear disarmament.
James Cameron, currently speaking Na'vi at award shows and rooting for his newest film to beat his previous at the history box office, is said to be considering doing a big-budget adaptation of Yamaguchi's story.
Much of this buzz comes from a visit that Cameron made in late December, while in Japan promoting Avatar. Reportedly, Cameron traveled with author Pellegrino, and told Yamaguchi that he would "pass on his rare and harrowing experience to future generations."
Cameron has also bought the rights to the book, but it is not clear what his role will be in adapting the book. It's possible that he might just be a producer, but at the same time Cameron has stated that he doesn't like producing for others to direct, as it basically takes too much time without offering the satisfaction one feels as a director (fair enough).
Considering the destruction of the Hometree in Avatar, it's very easy to imagine the director giving a real bombasticness to both explosions, even if this is more of a drama. If he is to direct, it's likely he'll inject humanity and a lot of environmental statements, (if they haven't already been made by such a film).
Still, a few questions remain open. If this is Cameron's next project, then what is to become of his Battle Angel project, which is at the moment set to come out in 2011? And of course, what does this mean for the release date of the heavily anticipated Avatar sequel?
What do you think? Can Cameron bring justice to this man's life, and his worst two days??
Source: Variety