Avatardirector James Cameron reveals that Jake Sully is partially based on himself. Released in 2009, the sci-fi fantasy film remains not just Cameron’s most successful film ever, but the highest-grossing movie of all time.Avatarstars Sam Worthington in the lead role of Jake, a paraplegic marine dispatched on a mission to colonize the alien moon of Pandora who becomes torn between following orders and defending the people and culture he comes to love. Worthington returns as Jake to lead thecast ofAvatar: The Way of Water(2022), Cameron’s hit sequel.
During a recent interview withEmpiremagazine, Cameron recalls the writing process for theAvatarsequels. The director reveals thatthe franchise’s characters were created and written by drawing from his own life, as well as the lives of his co-writers, Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, Josh Friedman, and Shane Salerno. Cameron mentions Jake, specifically, as a character that has qualities that are partially based on aspects of his own personality. Read Cameron’s explanation below:
These characters are amalgams of us, our childhoods, our role as parents, the mistakes we made, and probably to some extent continue to make as parents. A lot of self-reflection. I mean, Jake is a hard-ass motherf*cker. He’s very hard on his kids. Well, that’s me. I said, “Let’s make him an a**hole. Let’s make him The Great Santini. Let’s challenge the audience to like him, and see that it’s coming from love and fear and all of those things.”
What Jake’s Fatherhood Journey Means For The Avatar Franchise
Cameron’s Focus On Family Will Continue In The Sequels
Where the firstAvataris a love story between Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), the second film instead focuses on the larger Sully family, exploring Jake and Neytiri’s role as parents. A key dramatic question inThe Way of Waterrevolves aroundhow Jake can balance being a father with his duties as one of the leaders of the Na’vi resistance on Pandora. This dual role, of course, results in the death of his son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), and theAvatar: The Way of Waterendingsees Jake again committing to defending his home against human invaders.
Avatar 4’s Jake Sully Replacement Theory Looks A Lot More Likely After Avatar: Fire & Ash Tease From Zoe Saldaña
Zoe Saldaña recently offered some hints about what will take place in Avatar: Fire & Ash, and her comments support an increasingly popular theory.
The exploration of Jake’s struggles as a father will seemingly continue in futureAvatarmovies, including in thestory forAvatar: Fire and Ashlater this year. Though Jake will seemingly remain a central figure in the saga,upcoming films will put his children even more front and center. InFire and Ash, it has been confirmed that one form this will take is in the narration, with Jake’s son, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), set to take over from Jake for this particular installment.
A popularAvatar: Fire and Ashfan theory stemming from teases regarding just how emotional the upcoming film is posits that Jake could die in defense of his family and home.
Our Take On The Avatar Franchise’s Exploration Of Parenthood
The Franchise’s Family Themes Are Universal
The decision to focusThe Way of Wateron the Sully family unit was ultimately a wise one, as it allowed Cameron and the franchise’s co-writers to explore themes that are important to them in their own lives. Though the world ofAvataris obviously very far removed from reality,the elements that keep it grounded are the emotions and the struggles of parents and their children. Characters like Jake, Neytiri, Lo’ak, Neteyam, Tuk (Trinity Bliss), and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), are immensely human, despite being aliens.
It’s this exploration of universal human themes, in addition to the stunning visuals, that helpedAvatar: The Way of Watersucceed with audiences. WithFire and Ashand the following two sequels seemingly set to follow this same path, it certainly seems like theAvatarfranchise will continue to lean into universal elements of the human experience in its storytelling.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
