James Cameron Says His FANTASTIC VOYAGE Remake Is Finally Moving Forward and 2026 Could Be the Year
James Cameron isn’t done digging through his long list of passion projects, and one of his most elusive sci-fi projects might finally be ready to move forward. The filmmaker has offered an update on his long-gestating remake of Fantastic Voyage, and it sounds like there’s some real movement.
After decades of stops and starts, Cameron says the project could finally kick into real development in 2026. The remake of the 1966 sci-fi classic directed by Richard Fleischer has been on Cameron’s radar since the 1990s.
While he’s best known for shaping massive franchises like Terminator and Avatar, Cameron has also spent years developing projects as a producer that never quite lined up at the right moment. Fantastic Voyage has always been one of those white whales.
Right now, Cameron’s attention is largely wrapped up in keeping the Avatar machine moving forward. The third film in the series just hit theaters and it’s having a strong run at the box office. Even with that momentum, Cameron remains realistic about the future of the franchise and what it takes to push forward with parts four and five. Speaking during Deadline’s Behind the Lens interview series, he explained:
"If we get so lucky to do that [Avatar 4 and 5]. I always say 'if,' because it's not a given. We spend a lot of money, and we'll probably make a lot of money, but will it be enough to be profitable?"
That larger conversation about studios, franchises, and shifting priorities eventually circled back to Fantastic Voyage. While discussing the evolution of 20th Century Studios and its legacy of genre storytelling, Cameron jumped in with an update, saying:
"Fantastic Voyage. I've been nurturing that for a while. I hope to get that going this coming year. I'll be producing it, and I'm working with a director right now on a new script. So, yeah, we're gonna do it."
This project has been teased before by David S. Goyer and Guillermo del Toro, who were also working on it with Cameron at one point. Earlier this year, Goyer opened up about how close the project once came to production and why it ultimately stalled. He said:
"Guillermo's a good friend. We've worked on about five or six projects together. We were in prep on Fantastic Voyage, and it was very close. A production designer was on and all of the above.
“While we were in prep for that, Guillermo said, 'I've got this deal with Searchlight' and 'Do you have any scripts that could be made for $20 million?' and I gave him a script called Antlers that we produced together."
According to Goyer, the timing simply fell apart due to internal studio changes, even though the creative pieces were firmly in place. He added:
"Fantastic Voyage got derailed with the – then regime at Fox, but God, it was a good one."
The experience still left a lasting impression on him, especially working alongside Cameron and del Toro. Goyer continued:
"It was such a great experience working with Guillermo and James Cameron on that, and then my experience working on that led to my working on Terminator: Dark Fate with Cameron and we got along great."
With Cameron actively developing a new script and eyeing a 2026 launch window, it looks like Fantastic Voyage finally could move into production. If it does move forward, it’ll mark the realization of a sci-fi remake that’s been drifting through Hollywood development hell for nearly three decades.