Director James Cameron has always been a big supporter of 3D and tried to make Superman shoot like that.
James Cameron, recognized for his masterpieces such as Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009), has had a great influence on many filmmakers, including Zack Snyder, responsible for The Man of Steel (2013) which told the origin of Superman.
When Avatar was released in 2009, 3D cinema was booming, as James Cameron’s film became the highest-grossing film of all time and raised the bar for special effects. From there, many productions began to be shot or converted to 3D, including some of the blockbusters like Alice in Wonderland (2010), Clash of the Titans (2010) or Tron: Legacy (2010).
But what is clear is that there was a big difference between films shot in 3D as defended by James Cameron and those converted digitally, since they could even appear blurry or without depth.
In a recent interview, director Zack Snyder revealed that James Cameron convinced him to shoot Man of Steel in 3D.
“We had a meeting with James Cameron. I think it was right before we did Superman. He wanted us to shoot the movie natively in 3D. And I was like… Uh, yeah, Jim. That’s a great idea”.
“But then the film… That was problematic… Because you need two cameras all the time. So that would have been… Yes, very expensive and complicated.”
Zack Snyder
The result could have been different.
The Man of Steel was released in 3D, but it was another conversion, so the 3D version didn’t gain much from the normal format. In addition, it was a moderate success at the box office and received mixed reviews for its dark approach and its portrayal of Henry Cavill’s Superman character. Since then, there hasn’t been a solo movie of the great DC Comics hero. But at least we’ve seen him in other installments alongside Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and Aquaman. Although it must be remembered that James Gunn will restart the character in 2025.
Meanwhile, James Cameron continues with the Avatar saga. Since after the successful sequel that has grossed more than 2,319 million dollars worldwide, they will make three more installments that will hit theaters in 2024, 2026 and 2028.
Disney
On the other hand, Zack Snyder will premiere Rebel Moon. A science fiction movie that can be seen on Netflix at the end of 2023 and that is its own version of Star Wars. For what promises to be something very big.