Motivation for Most Successful Movie Ever

Ever wonder what James Cameron's motiviation was for making Titanic, the most financially successful movie of all time? Was he driven to make what he hoped would be the best movie ever? Did he have a burning desire to tell a story? Did he want to create the most elaborate set for a movie ever?

Turns out he just wanted an excuse to dive the wreck of the Titanic:

I have a confession to make. I made the movie Titanic because I thought I could talk the studio into letting me dive and film the real ship, 12,500 feet down in the North Atlantic. I was an avid wreck diver, and it was the ultimate shipwreck. Making the movie itself was actually secondary in my mind. So when I proposed the movie, I pitched the Titanic dives as a marketing hook - and the studio bought it. I figured, if I got killed, it would be before all the sets were built and the actors hired, so the studio wouldn't be out much.

via Wired