See The New James Cameron Epic Starring Natalie Portman

James Cameron and Natalie Portman are teaming up for a documentary titled Secrets of the Elephants.

By Britta DeVore
| Published 2 hours ago

James Cameron is riding the waves of success with Avatar: The Way of Water as it moves into its second month dominating the box office, but the action and drama director is next teaming up with Natalie Portman to bring another story to life. The duo’s work can be seen in the trailer below for Secrets of the Elephants, a National Geographic documentary set to release in April. Backing the eye-catching motion picture as an executive producer, Cameron hits the nail on the head when it comes to telling the story of one of the world’s largest animals. 

The trailer, of course, features dazzling shots molded by James Cameron as the executive producer, and although Natalie Portman’s voice is missing from the first look, viewers will hear from National Geographic Explorer Dr. Paula Kahumbu who has studied the incredible creatures for years. Featuring a lot of up-close-and-personal shots of the elephants, the trailer takes audiences around the globe from Africa to Asia. Proving to be not so different from humans, the elephants display a wide range of emotions as they help one another survive in extreme circumstances. There are also very cute baby elephants. 

James Cameron is no newbie when it comes to the world of documentary filmmaking, with the latest Natalie Portman narrated elephant-centered project being the second in his Secrets series. Back in 2021, the Titanic director came out with Secrets of the Whales, a production that focused on various whale species that call Earth’s seas home. Beyond Secrets of the Elephants, Cameron plans to come forward with Secrets of the Octopus, Secrets of the Bees, and Secrets of the Penguins in the upcoming years. 

While both have had long-spanning and fruitful careers in Hollywood, Secrets of the Elephants will be the first production that will see James Cameron and Natalie Portman combine their talents. With Avatar: The Way of Water being such a success, the Aliens and The Terminator director will be moving forward with Avatar 3 and Avatar 4. While the plot for each is still up in the air, we can expect more of the same storyline about the world of Pandora with underlying (and overlying) themes of environmental protection as well as the breathtaking effects and stellar performances that the now franchise is known for.

Like James Cameron, Natalie Portman has also been staying busy, and while she may not be working in the Avatar universe (at least not yet), the actress was recently seen reprising her beloved MCU role as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder. On the big screen, the Star Wars star will soon appear in Todd Haynes’ romantic drama May December opposite Julianne Moore and Charles Melton. She’s also attached to star in Apple TV+’s crime drama miniseries adaptation of the Laura Lippman novel, Lady in the Lake.

While the duo hasn’t yet joined forces on any scripted dramas or high-flying action features, maybe James Cameron and Natalie Portman will find their paths crossing following their work on Secrets of the Elephants. The documentary will drop on National Geographic on Friday, April 21, and be available for streaming on Disney+ the following day.