Originally titled “Project 880”, Avatar is James Cameron’s latest foray into science fiction filmmaking. It’s taken awhile to gestate, apparently he has been penning a script since finishing Titanic in 1997. Fortunately he has no plans to make True Lies 2, something that had been a real possibility.

James Cameron is no stranger to science fiction, having successfully written and directed two Terminator films and the classic underwater science fiction film The Abyss. And of course, we can’t forget Aliens. He is both writer and director here too.

In a nutshell, Avatar is an epic film set on an exotic alien planet where humans can only survive by projecting their consciousness into genetically engineered bodies (Avatars). People on Earth want to exploit the planet's natural resources, causing a war to break out with the planet's inhabitants. The main character, Jake, is an ex-marine who has fallen in love with a native forcing him to choose a side in the battle to come.

"Avatar is an emotional journey of redemption and revolution,” a January 2007 press release explained, “it’s the story of a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival."

Earlier Cameron had described Avatar as "a futuristic tale set on a planet 200 years hence, an old-fashioned jungle adventure with an environmental conscience...”

Even earlier still, when Avatar was still titled "Project 880", a plot description used in a casting call revealed that:

"In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.”

Whatever the final result, Avatar's plot doesn't sound particularly ambitious or intriguing. Still, with his past science fiction film credits it's going to be one to watch out for. Although I doubt anyone will really need to watch out for it, the marketing campaign is likely to be extreme: Fox has given the film a massive $195 million budget (US). I’m guessing there may be one or two special effects too.

Apparently James Cameron had been waiting for digital special effects technology to take another step forward before attempting the film. Two of the main characters will be completely computer generated (hopefully the result is nothing like George Luca’s infamous Jar Jar Binks).

The cast includes Australian Sam Worthington as Jake Sully the paralyzed marine, Zoë Saldaña as Jake's alien love interest, and Sigourney Weaver as Grace.

Michelle Rodriguez (Lost) and Stephen Lang (Tombstone) are also onboard.

Avatar is expected to be released on May 23, 2009.

Update!
Read our review of Avatar here.