Here’s the take on it from a website called "CAmeron online:
https://www.jamescamerononline.com/Ellison.htm
Here’s the line from the interview as they give it, as reported by Ellison:
But elsewhere he reports:
I note that these are both from Ellison. Cameron hasn’t explicitly commented, apparently because of a gag order (Cameron isn’t Donald Trump)
This account disputes your benign one regarding About Time:
I’m not sure Ellison liked anything that didn’t have as it’s main theme how horrible and evil the world is.
Well, damn I’ll have to track down where I got that from–literally just read it a few days ago.
ETA-
The story was attributed to sci-fi writer Adam-Troy Castro (on a social media post) but I can’t find HIM positing it just him tagged in someone else relating it as Castro’s story–and the way its written I thought that Castro worked on In Time but now looking at it again. He just showed Harlan the movie and at the time expecting a reaction and Harlan just shrugged.
But apparently decided to shrug and then call his lawyer.
I’d just stop there.
When one of the Tarzan movies came out – forget which one – Mad Magazine had a Jack Davis satire of it. One exchange with the White Hunter:
“Why, you speak English as good as me.”
“That’s ‘as well as I’ and I happen to speak better than you do.”
Actual Tarzan quote from the first Tarzan of the Apes novel:
“Me Tarzan, you Jane” (which isn’t exactly what Johnny Weissmuller said) was a creation of the movies.
Ok, that’s a tad better than “Me Tarzan, you Jane”, but no Shakespeare either… 
What can you say? Nkima (Tarzan’s real monkey companion in the books. Cheetah was only in the movies. And he was a chimp) wasn’t a very good editor or speech coach.
“In Time” was a double rippety rip-off, anyway:
Doubtful. Were there successful lawsuits? Ideas can be original even if someone had the idea before, as in a film few ever saw.
It is possible that In Time bought the rights for a few bucks, just in case. Just like PotC On Stranger Tides where-
It was later revealed that the idea to adapt On Stranger Tides came close to the end of filming the Pirates trilogy, in which screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio found the novel and brought it up to producer Jerry Bruckheimer as an idea to option the book for the new chapter.[15] In a 2011 interview, Tim Powers stated that Disney wanted the film rights as early as before the release of the second Pirates film, Dead Man’s Chest , though he thought they already used elements beforehand. Disney would not buy the rights to Powers’ novel until they started filming their fourth movie.[4][5] Rossio mentioned how Disney was hit with at least six plagiarism lawsuits for the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie for supposedly stealing elements of the Monkey Island video game and stuff from the On Stranger Tides novel, despite there being a ride at Disneyland and also a first draft screenplay by other writers.[16]
In other words, the basic concept of the Film had been developed before Disney knew of the novel, but in order to protect themselves and yes- use a few ideas- they bought the rights.
I was really disappointed that On Stanger Tides was optioned as a legal ass covering, and not as an adaptation in its own right. Great book, deserved more than being used to flog a few more pieces of eight from Jack Sparrows corpse.
This sort of thing happens a lot. Studios often buy up the rights to a similar story published earlier to avoid lawsuits. And sometimes, having paid the money, they say the film or TV is an adaptaion, when it pretty clearly isn’t. Examples:
Star Trek (TOS) episode “Arena”. Apparently Gene L. Coon wrote the episode unaware of Fredric Brown’s classic SF story of the same name (It’s in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and countless other anthologies). So they bought the rights and claimed it was an adaptation. Even though the endings of the story and the episode are diametrically opposed. And the stories are very different. One of these days I’d like to see somebody do the story straight, using CGI.
I, Robot. Screenwriter Jeff Vintar wrote a screenplay that was set in Asimov’s “Robots” universe, but wasn’t intended to be an adaptation of any existing story, let alone the fix-up by Asimov called “I, Robot” (or “Eando Binder’s” “I, Robot”, either). But the studio, noting the similarities, bought the rights to the Asimov book. Since they had the rights, why not put Asimov’s named on it and claim it as an adaptation? Even though the characters didn’t at all resemble the ones in the book, and the plot isn’t at all the same. And the conclusions drawn are again diametrically opposed (A “robot revolt” as depicted in the film could not happen in Asimov’s universe). One of these days I’d love to see them fil m the screenplay Harlan Ellison had written adapting Asimov’s story (with Asimov’s blessing).
Starship Troopers – Ed Neumeier started writing a treatment for a movie tentatively entitled Bug Hunt at Outpost 7, which was planned to be a jingoistic xenophobic action movie. Neumeier wasn’t consciously adapting Heinlein’s book, but I can’t believe he was unaware of it – Neumeier’s output reveals him to be a big science fiction fan. Apparently they believed that the rights to the Heinlein book had already been bought. Later, when Neumeier and producer Jon Davidson tried to sell the idea they met with resistance until they found that the rights to the book were available, bought them, and repackaged the film as an adaptation. They also rewrote the script a little. An adaptation it definitely is not – I’ve never see n a case where the mismatch b etween philosophy, plot, and respect for scientific accuracy were so much at odds. Heinlein would’ve hated this movie with a passion.
Honey I Blew up the Kid – When I first saw the idea for this film I thought they’d bought the rights to Kit Reed’s Attack of the Giant Baby. So did a lot of other people, including Kit Reed, who sued. In this case I can honestly believe it was simply a similarity of ideas – HIBUTK is sort of obvious after you’ve made Honey I Shrunk the Kids. But their legal department was definitely at fault in not picking up on this sooner. Reed ended up getting a “special recognition” in the credits.
Don’t get me started on all the times Robert Sheckley should’ve gotten recognition for stuff stolen from him; or how badly they mangled his work in “adaptation”
I hadn’t even realized that until later.
Funny enough, they probably also own Monkey Island now? I mean it was under the LucasArts production. Then again, Monkey Island 6 came out last year and Disney wasn’t involved so maybe those rights are elsewhere.
Despite huge differences, I did notice that Curse of the Black Pearl had a few similar elements to Monkey Island. Just a coincidence, though.
Well, there are a few examples of pre-Hollywood ‘wolfmen’ that appear to be bipedal. Here’s a woodcut of Peter Stummp attacking a victim; he was a famous ‘werewolf’ who was executed in a disturbing way in 1589.
It is a great book, but none of Tim Powers books have been made into a film, nor even optioned- AFAIK.
RAH was likely the greatest SF author of all time, but other than the little known Destination Moon none were any good- altho the Japanese version of Door into Summer might be okay. And overall not many film versions were made- and RAHs TA books would be great as films.
And of course many movies have been inspired by Philip K. Dick novels, but afaik none have actually been adapted.
Oh, me, too. Plus, being filmed in the oh-so-atmospheric Bradbury Building.
Man in the High Castle?