James Cameron to direct non-Avatar film

Los Angeles - James Cameron is to direct the big screen version of The Informationist.

The Oscar-winning director and his Lightstorm Entertainment company have just obtained the rights to Taylor Stevens' novel and he intends to produce and helm the project for Fox.

The book focuses on Vanessa Michael Monroe, who is born in central Africa and grows up to become a teenage protege of gunrunners and mercenaries.

'A mix of Lisbeth Salander, Jason Bourne'

She then becomes an information dealer for wealthy clients, but her latest job finds her searching for a missing girl right back in her homeland.

Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter of the novel: "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."

Producing partner Jon Landau added: "This was an opportunity to continue our relationship with Fox and Jim Gianopulos beyond the Avatar films.

"We were drawn to this book because of the terrific, compelling narrative and the character, who typifies the strong female protagonists that have inhabited Jim's work. In this case, Vanessa Munroe is essentially a mix of Lisbeth Salander and Jason Bourne."