Zack Snyder has gone from being one of the biggest directors to break out of the 2000s era, to one of the most controversial and divisive directors of current times. The filmmaker’s unique visual style was perfect for the comic book movie genre, turning films like 300 and Watchmen into cult-hits that faithfully brought comic book pages to life on the movie screen.

After making 300 and Watchmen for DC/WB (and a failed personal project in Sucker Punch), Snyder was handed the keys to the kingdom: launching a DC Movie Universe to rival the one Marvel has built. However, what should’ve been a slam dunk has proven to be winding and very rocky road; Snyder’s Superman reboot film Man of Steel angered a lot of fans for its grim vision of Superman – as did the follow up film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now Snyder has the big Justice League team up film coming down to theaters, determining (maybe once and for all) how his DC movie legacy will be written.

However, even while fans continue to debate the merits of Zack Snyder’s directing, there is one filmmaker that is lending some high praise to Snyder’s filmmaking abilities: James Cameron.

That’s Cameron in an interview passed on by Comic Book Debate about which filmmakers inspired him, and he name drops Robert Rodriguez as well as Zack Snyder as filmmakers whose visual style grabbed his attention, long before they were big names in the industry (speaking to the quality of the their work, more than their fame).

It’s funnythat Cameron references both Snyder and Rodriguez, as the two filmmakers had major impact on starting the comic book movie era in Hollywood, thanks to Snyder’s 300, and Rodriguez’s Sin City, two comic books by acclaimed creator Frank Miller, which were adapted into successful films in 2006 and 2005, respectively. It’s also funny that Cameron references his “friend” who directed Deadpool, Tim Miller, as another inspiring filmmaker. Miller also gained acclaim for making a new sort of comic book movie, making it an official pattern: James Cameron admires the visual language of comic books – which makes it even more odd that he’s never directed a superhero movie.

NEXT: James Cameron Won’t Direct Superhero Movies

Cameron is currently hard at work on not one, or two, but three Avatar sequels, the first of which (Avatar 2) could begin shooting as soon as late this year – which is still years and years after most fans expected it.

Are you excited for Avatar 2? Rate your anticipation in our rankings below!

Avatar2009

ComicBook Composite 77.22 NAAll-Time Comic Movies

Average rating

3.81/5 from 36 users NA All-Time Rated

Full Profile

MORE Avatar: Avatar 2 is a Family Saga / Avatar 2018 Release Unlikely / Sequels Have Amazing Story /Avatar Will Get 4 Sequels