James Cameron Commissioned a Study to Prove If Jack Could Have Survived in 'Titanic' : 'Only One Could'

"We have done a scientific study to put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all," James Cameron said

Photo: 20th Century Fox/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

James Cameron is ready to put fan theories about Jack Dawson's death at the end of Titanic "to rest."

The legendary filmmaker, 68, revealed in a new interview with Postmedia, per The Toronto Sun, that he commissioned a scientific study to determine if there really was enough room for both Jack and Rose DeWitt Bukater (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, respectively) to fit on the ever-debated floating door after the Titanic sunk.

The theory is one that's been shared for years following the release of Cameron's 1997 blockbuster — with even a 2013 episode of Mythbusters dedicated to the theory, and Keke Palmer hilariously having problems with how things went down.

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"We have done a scientific study to put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all," Cameron said, per the outlet. "We have since done a thorough forensic analysis with a hypothermia expert who reproduced the raft from the movie and we're going to do a little special on it that comes out in February."

The study in Cameron's upcoming special — which will coincide with the 4K restoration of Titanic that is set to arrive in theaters in February — took "two stunt people who were the same body mass" as Winslet, 47, and DiCaprio, 48.

Cameron said those involved "put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water" to see if survival was a possibility. As he explained, "There was no way they both could have survived. Only one could survive."

"[Jack] needed to die," Cameron added. "It's like Romeo and Juliet. It's a movie about love and sacrifice and mortality. The love is measured by the sacrifice … Maybe after 25 years, I won't have to deal with this anymore."

James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio in 1998. Ron Wolfson/Getty

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Cameron previously shared in an interview with the BBC in 2019 that there was "no debate" over what should've happened to the character of Jack, and that the debate itself was "stupid."

"But if you really want to unearth all the dumbass arguments associated with it … I mean, let's go back to, could Romeo have been smart and not taken the poison? Yes," Cameron said. "Could he have decided not to bring his little dagger just in case Juliet might stab herself with it? Yes, absolutely. It sort of misses the point."

PEOPLE will be celebrating the film on its 25th anniversary with a new Titanic special edition, which will include a behind-the-scenes look at its making and legacy. In the issue, Cameron opened up about reuniting with Winslet for the newly released Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as his ongoing obsession with the RMS Titanic.

"Yeah, I was a little bit obsessed there for a while," the director and writer told PEOPLE, adding, "I'm not going back out to the wreck. I've done my investigation. We are putting all our data together with some of the other experts . . . to do a definitive publication on the marine forensics of the wreck."