James Cameron Claims He Secretly Wrote A '90s Action Classic And Never Got Credit

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James Cameron is a filmmaker who needs no introduction. From directing some of the greatest sequels of all-time in the form of "Aliens" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" to helming literally the biggest movie ever in "Avatar," his accomplishments are many. And yet, somehow, some of his achievements may be a little under-reported. Indeed, if Cameron is to be believed, he actually wrote the beloved 1991 action flick "Point Break," which helped enshrine Keanu Reeves as an action star and gave Patrick Swayze one of his defining on-screen roles.

"Point Break" picks up after a string of bizarre bank robberies in California, with the perpetrators donning masks of various former U.S. presidents. Federal agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) then infiltrates the suspected gang of surfers, which is led by the charismatic Bodhi (Swayze). However, Utah also falls for a female surfer, Tyler (Lori Petty), who is close to the gang, complicating matters.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow back when she and Cameron were still married, "Point Break" was a sizable hit and has gone on to become a true classic of its genre. It also got a remake in 2015, though the less said about that the better. A "Point Break" TV series has also been in the works for several years, but Bigelow's original film is, in the eyes of many, untouchable. Evidently, Cameron is also owed some thanks for that.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter to promote the release of his mega-budget blockbuster "Avatar: Fire and Ash," Cameron stated that he the one who really wrote "Point Break." Though the film's script is credited to W. Peter Iliff, Cameron claimed it was secretly his handiwork. "I wrote 'Point Break.' I flat out got stiffed by the Writers Guild [of America] on that. It was bulls**t," as he put it.

"Point Break" was a sizable hit at the time of its release. It was largely embraced by critics and made $83.5 million at the box office against a reported $24 million budget. It also went on to enjoy a very long life on home media and cable TV, in addition to spawning the aforementioned remake (which was a major flop).

Rick King and Iliff are credited with coming up with the film's story, while Iliff got the sole script credit. At the time, Cameron was busy making his big-budget sequel "Terminator 2." In the end, he was credited as an executive producer on the movie, as he's discussed in the past.

"I was executive producer of 'Point Break.' I did a considerable amount of writing on the shooting draft of the script with Kathryn, even though we haven't received credit, which is an issue that I have with the Writers Guild," Cameron previously said at the "Terminator 2" convention in 1991 (via JamesCamereonOnline.com). "She basically is one hundred percent responsible for the final film from that point on. I mean, I made a few phone calls, but I was kinda busy myself."

In any event, Cameron's alleged contributions largely went uncredited. For Bigelow, it was a major turning point, as "Point Break" is still regarded as one of her best films. She would go on to direct acclaimed dramas such as "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty," among others. Cameron, meanwhile, did just fine for himself, helming "Titanic" and the "Avatar" trilogy, all of which rank among the highest-grossing movies ever. Still, it appears he'd like credit for his (purported) work. Fair enough.

After Cameron's quote from the THR interview began circulating, Iliff weighed in the matter and acknowledged some of the filmmaker's contributions to "Point Break," while not going so far as to say that he outright wrote the movie. "Jim Cameron is my hero. I am perhaps his biggest fan. And so grateful for his fabulous work on Point Break," Iliff said to Entertainment Weekly.

"Rick had an idea about surfers who rob banks," Iliff added. "I was late 20's, waiting tables to get by, and Rick got producers Peter Abrams and Robert Levy ("Wedding Crashers") to pay me $6K to write the screenplay Johnny Utah."

The movie was originally titled after Reeves' titular character Johnny Utah, but was later changed to "Point Break." Iliff further explained that Cameron and Bigelow worked together on the production draft of the script, revealing some of what he added to the proceedings.

"Jim (and Kathryn) did the production draft. Jim took an Executive Producer credit. Jim added scenes such as Utah jumping out of the plane without a parachute. He told me that he had the idea while flying in a plane over Spain. This sort of work is commonplace on studio pictures."

"The WGA arbitration process is one of fellow writers reading all the drafts and rendering a credit decision. It is a jury of our peers. And that jury gave me sole screenplay credit for Point Break. With shared story credit with Rick King," Iliff concluded.

You can grab "Point Break" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.