Many fans of 1997’s Titanic have debated whether or not Jack Dawson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) could have survived the sinking of the Titanic.  At the end of the movie Rose DeWitt Bukater (played by Kate Winslet) and Jack are floating on debris from the shipwreck. Many people think that Jack would have survived had Rose just made room for him. The theory caught so much traction that even an episode of the Mythbusters had investigated it.

In an upcoming special put on by National Geographic, coming out on February fifth, the possibility of Jack’s survival will be explored.  The special is called Titanic: 25 Years Later, which is a remake of the previous Titanic: 20 Years Later. Both of these films star the director, James Cameron, talking about the film. Cameron found a flaw in the fans theory very quickly though, the ‘door’ everyone thinks Rose is floating on, isn’t a door at all. “It’s, technically, not a door, it’s a piece of wood from the first-class cabin,” was Cameron’s exact words.

The simulation will be held in a New Zealand pool.  The supervisor of the simulation is James Cotter, a hypothermia expert from the University of Otago. The stunt doubles were chosen  because of the similar body types to the characters Jack and Rose.  Although the original temperature of the Atlantic Ocean was around twenty-eight degrees, the stunt doubles will be performing the simulation in water around fifty-six degrees, but they will spend double the amount of time in the water.  Cameron stated, “That actually plots out quite accurately according to the algorithm.” Cameron had also said, “Across four tests, we came to some pretty hard and fast conclusions.” Cameron did not reveal what the tests had shown however, leaving it as a mystery to be solved during the documentary.

Although many have speculated whether or not Jack and Rose could have both survived, Cameron had told the public that Jack had to die, after all, it was written in the script.  Despite that, Cameron is putting the debate to rest in this documentary.  The documentary will come out on the National Geographic channel February fifth.