Twentieth Century Fox has announced production for James Cameron's Avatar will begin in April.

According to Variety, the film, which is being shot entirely in 3-D, will be released both in 3-D and 2-D. Avatar is the first major pic Cameron has helmed since Titanic. It's based on a script he's been working on for more than a decade as he perfected the technology necessary to shoot the film.

The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, and pits a band of humans in a battle against a distant indigenous population. The release date has been set for May 22, 2009.