A lawsuit against James Cameron underscores questions over actors’ likenesses

While the “Avatar” movie series remains one of director James Cameron’s most celebrated works, a new lawsuit revolving around the first film could have widespread implications. The lawsuit, which accuses Cameron of using a performer’s image without permission, comes amid concerns about the legal ownership of actors’ faces.

‘Without credit or compensation’

The actor Q’orianka Kilcher filed a lawsuit alleging that in 2005, when she was 14, Cameron “extracted her facial features” from...