As audiences prepare to step back into Titanic to re-experience its gripping love story, National Geographic is set to debut an upcoming special titled Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron that will finally answer the 25-year-long debate if Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) could have survived the ill-fated voyage by staying on the floating door with Rose (Kate Winslet).An official sneak peek from Good Morning America showcases the Academy Award-winning director performing the experiment that will finally answer the hotly debated question. In order to conduct the investigation, James Cameron brought together two stunt performers inside a water tank to recreate the film's iconic moment, testing different ways the characters could have fit on the floating door. Among the tests, the most successful revealed so far depicts Rose offering Jack a life jacket, which could have helped insulate him in the freezing weather. So could Jack have survived? Cameron answers with a final statement: "Jack might have lived, but there's a lot of variables."Cameron previously commented on the debate in an interview with Vanity Fair.“I think it’s all kind of silly, really, that we’re having this discussion 20 years later," He said. "But it does show that the film was effective in making Jack so endearing to the audience that it hurts them to see him die. Had he lived, the ending of the film would have been meaningless . . . The film is about death and separation; he had to die.” Despite the fun debates that the controversy provides, Jack's death was significant for Rose's character arc by motivating her to live her life to the fullest, which audiences can re-experience when the film returns to theaters this month.
Released in theaters during the holiday season of 1997, Titanic received critical praise for its emotionally sweeping love story and groundbreaking visual effects. Earning a total of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film would become a worldwide phenomenon, becoming the first to make over $1 billion at the global box office. The film remained on top of the all-time list for over 12 years until the release of Avatar, another movie by Cameron. With a resurgence of Cameron's filmography following the theatrical re-issue of the first Avatar alongside the debut of its long-awaited sequel, it's only fitting for Titanic to make its way back to theaters, now in stunning 4K resolution, just in time for Valentine's Day.Titanic sets sail for theaters again on February 10. Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron from National Geographic will debut on February 5. Check out the sneak peek at the upcoming special below.