Last updated on Monday, July 20, 2009

The last time James Cameron directed a major motion picture it ended up winning 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Effects, Best Sound, and on and on. So, when a film many have been waiting upwards of 10 years for is getting ready to hit theaters it would be silly to not consider it a major contender.

Of course, we must consider Titanic was more up the Academy's alley as prior Cameron films that won the affection of audiences didn't garner Cameron a Best Director nomination and neither Aliens or Terminator 2 earned Best Picture nominations. However, it should be recognized Aliens did earn Sigourney Weaver a Best Actress nomination. Could Avatar duplicate the favor?

All the balls are up in the air with this one as it is one to watch for sheer entertainment potential as well as awards consideration.

Avatar is directed by James Cameron and has not yet been officially rated by the MPAA.

The cast includes Wes Studi, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Peter Mensah, CCH Pounder, Laz Alonso, Joel David Moore, Joel Moore, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi and Matt Gerald.

Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars® including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.