James Cameron Says He Erased 10 Minutes Of Gun Violence In AVATAR 2 Saying It Hurts His Stomach

Director James Cameronthe highly anticipated sequel to Avatar: The Way of Water has finally hit theaters to outstanding reviews. This is hardly surprising as the first film was a record-breaking phenomenon that shattered the box office ceiling and set a new standard for virtual effects. The only concern with the sequel was the fact that it would be released 14 years after the first film, so some wondered if Cameron could get another hit, including the director himself.

It turns out he did, but after making the movie, the director had to make some cuts to the movie that he’s sharing now. In a new interview with Esquire Middle East, Cameron revealed that the film would have been 10 minutes longer if he hadn’t cut the scenes with gun violence. The director said he is no longer interested in fetishizing guns in his action scenes, given the rampant gun violence in the U.S.

“I actually cut out about 10 minutes of the film that was targeting the action of a shooting. I wanted to get rid of some of the ugliness, find a balance between light and dark. You have to have conflicts, of course. Violence and action are the same thing, depending on how you look at it. That’s every action director’s dilemma, and I’m known as an action director.”

Cameron said earlier in the interview:

“I think back to some films I’ve made and I don’t know if I would like to make that film now. I don’t know if I would fetishize the gun, as I did in a couple of “Terminator” movies over 30 years ago, in our current world. What’s happening with guns in our society makes my stomach turn. I’m happy to live in New Zealand where they just banned all assault rifles two weeks after the horrific mosque shootings a couple of years ago.”

I respect Cameron for his point of view. It will be interesting to see how films are made moving forward with artists adopting this stance. I have not seen Avatars 2 Still. You have? What do you think of the fight sequences?