In the second week of 2022, Feature film producer Jon Landau listed his tropical getaway for sale on the open market. The Florida Keys estate is a welcome sight for those with the winter blues; at $13.999 million, it may currently represent an absolute bargain to residents of the Northeast.
Landau — who took home an Academy Award in 1997 for his work on Titanic, that year’s Best Picture winner — has owned the Plantation Key property with his wife Julie for about a decade. A look at the exterior reveals the forcefully expressed Balinese-inspired architecture which earned the estate its title: ‘Bali Hai’, borrowed from the South Pacific soundtrack.
The property begins with a sculptural gate that captures the spirit of the property, and therefore stands as a bit of playfully arch foreshadowing; the drive that is the romantic preamble to the home is a meandering green tunnel of tropical landscaping.
The house contains six bedrooms in its 6,000 sq. ft. of cozily compartmentalized interior living area. Natural river stone and Brazilian mahogany abound in the shared spaces; the double doors of the entrance are hand-carved. Skylights and clerestories enhance the home’s delirious sense of space and scale, which is balanced by its warmth.
The 3.69 acres of grounds are home to hundreds of varied plantings; the land features a saltwater pond that is home to a community tropical fish as a centerpiece, and concludes ocean side with 200 feet of frontage. Creature comforts include a tennis court, and a zero-edge pool.
Landau’s working on four sequels of the box-office mega-hit Avatar. The production budget for all installments combined is $1 billion. Avatar 2 is expected to hit theaters in December of this year. The releases are spaced two years apart, with Avatar 5 coming out in December 2028. James Cameron’s very hands-on, writing, directing, producing, and editing.