James Cameron to direct 'The Informationist'

Hey, remember when James Cameron said this?

Cameron: "I’m in the 'Avatar' business. Period. That’s it. I’m making 'Avatar 2,' 'Avatar 3,' maybe 'Avatar 4,' and I’m not going to produce other people’s movies for them."

It was a pretty definitive statement, and it also turned out to not exactly be true. The words got a little wobbly last month when Cameron said he still had plans to direct an adaptation of Battle Angel Alita, and now his declaration is completely blown out of the water as he's agree to direct The Informationist, based on Taylor Stevens' 2011 novel.

The first book in a series, so obviously there's some franchise potential here, the story follows Vanessa Michael Monroe, an information specialist whose services are in demand with the wealthy, heads of state, and corporations. Hired by a Texas oil billionaire to find his missing daughter, Vanessa finds herself back in lawless Africa where she grew up.

Cameron will tackle this after he finished up with the back-to-back filming of Avatars 2 & 3, so for now a writer is being a sought. This likely means Battle Angel is getting put even further on the backburner. [THR]