10 Films That Embellished Who Actually Made Them

Who You Probably Thought Made It: James Cameron

Who Really Made It: Alister Grierson

Thirty years after taking the hit for Piranha II: The Spawning, James Cameron was now a hugely bankable household name thanks to the likes of mega-blockbusters including Titanic and Avatar. And, as seems to be the trend in Hollywood, it was now time for Cameron to lend his name to another film he had little to do with but in a different kind of way.

The advertising for underwater survival flick Sanctum certainly stressed Cameron’s involvement as executive producer and presenter while reminding potential viewers of his past movie successes. It seemed credible as a Cameron movie too, considering his penchant and prowess for ocean-set movies like The Abyss and Titanic.

But it in reality it was little-known Aussie director Alister Grierson’s film and though it was a box office success – in part, no doubt, because of Cameron’s involvement – critics weren’t quite so impressed with it. Seems even Cameron’s golden touch couldn’t save it from a poor reception.

Not that Sanctum was quite as bad as Piranha II but it wasn’t quite the quality of film cinemagoers had come to expect from a project related to Cameron (however vaguely) by that time. Funnily enough, in the years since Grierson hasn’t done much apart from a bit of TV work and we’re still waiting on Cameron’s Avatar sequels. Read into that what you will.