In 1985,
James Cameron made his groundbreaking
blockbuster space horror flick
Aliens (a more action-oriented
sequel to the equally visionary
Alien). Cameron hired composer
James Horner to score the film, on the strength of Horner's work on films such as
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and
Commando. But the collaboration was immediately beset with strife and discord. Horner felt that he was given too little time, too little access to the film for which he was writing, and an obsolete studio to work from. This, combined with Cameron's penchant for obsessing over everything
but the music, and for making major changes at the last minute, led to screaming arguments and a determination by Horner that he would never, never work with Cameron again.
But time passed. About a
decade, to be exact. And then, one day, James Horner was surprised when the
telephone rang, and on the other end was James Cameron.
"James, let me cut straight to the chase here. I loved the score you composed for
Braveheart. I'm working on a new movie. It's going to be the biggest movie ever made. And you're the only one who can score it."
James Horner rubbed his chin and pursed his lips in thought for a moment. Finally, he asked, "what's it called?"
And James Cameron answered: "
Titanic."
James Horner thought about it for a minute more, before ever-so-slightly nodding his head and giving his response: "I'll do it."
And the rest is history -- an Oscar, the best-selling film score of all time (not to mention one of the biggest film blockbusters of all time as well).
And so it was without
hesitation that James Horner entered into their next collaboration--James Horner picked up the phone, and it was James Cameron: "I'm working on a new movie. It's going to be the biggest movie ever made. And you're the only one who can score it."
"What's it called?"
"
Avatar."
James Horner ever-so-slightly nodded his head and gave his response: "I'll do it."
The End.