James Cameron To Direct The Thriller The Informationist After Avatar 3

It was reported earlier this year that James Cameron would no longer be making films that weren't connected to the universe created in 2009's Avatar, but it would seem that he wasn't counting on The Informationist catching his eye.

THR has learned that James Cameron has gotten his hands on the rights to the Taylor Stevens novel and has plans to direct the adaptation only after he has completed both Avatar 2 and Avatar 3. When you look at the story closely it's not hard to see what appealed to the filmmaker, particularly if you know his sensibilities. Continuing in the tradition of the Terminator movies and Aliens, the thriller centers on a strong female central character named Vanessa “Michael” Munroe who spent her youth in central Africa as a "protégé of gunners and mercenaries." After moving away she uses her training to get into the information business (hence the title), but finds herself returning to her home continent when a billionaire hires her to track down his missing daughter. The trade describes the character as a mix of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo franchse, and Sherlock Holmes.

Said Cameron in a statement about the acquisition, "Taylor Stevens’ Vanessa Michael Munroe is an intriguing and compelling heroine with an agile mind and a thirst for adventure. Equally fascinating for me is her emotional life and her unexpected love story." The first book in the series came out in March of 2011 and the second was published earlier this year.

In January, producer Jon Landau - who is also working on The Informationalist - said that the next Avatar movies were still four years away. So don't expect Cameron to be tackling this project any time soon.