Cameron to direct 3-D sci-fi film

Since becoming the king of the world seven years ago with “Titanic,” James Cameron has spent much of his time in the underwater world, making 3-D documentaries about his deep-sea explorations. But the director is finally coming up for air and returning to science fiction with “Battle Angel,” a three-dimensional movie set in the 26th century.

Cameron, who also directed “Aliens” and the first two “Terminator” movies, said he’s in preproduction now and expects to start shooting in May or June. The film will take two years to make and will include about 1,500 visual effects shots.

“It’s based on a series of graphic novels done by a Japanese artist called Kishiro,” said the 50-year-old filmmaker, whose “Titanic” won 11 Academy Awards including best picture and best director, and is the highest-grossing film of all time.

He wouldn’t discuss casting for the movie, but said, “It’s going to be a combination of live action and [computer graphics] but done photorealistically. There will be CG characters and live-action characters.”