James Cameron recreates controversial 'Titanic' scene in Nat Geo special

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron has recreated a controversial scene from his classic film Titanic in the hopes of settling a long simmering debate.

Fans have long argued that Leonardo DiCaprio's character Jack could have survived the historic ocean-lining sinking if only his girlfriend Rose (played by Kate Winslet) made room for him on a piece of wreckage floating in the icy waters.

Instead, Jack sacrificed himself by letting Rose have the lifesaver.

He ultimately froze to death.

ABC's Good Morning America program shared a first look of Cameron recreating the scene with stunt doubles for the National Geographic special, Titanic: 25 Years Later, which will air on Sunday.

The team of filmmakers and scientists tried four different scenarios, with Cameron ultimately concluding, "He might have lived, but there's a lot of variables."

"I think his thought process was, 'I'm not going to do one thing that jeopardizes her.' And that is 100 percent in character," he added.