James Cameron directed Avatar.
Avatar ( marketed as James Cameron 's Avatar ) is a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed , written , produced , and co-edited by James Cameron , and starring Sam Worthington , Zoe Saldana , Stephen Lang , Michelle Rodriguez , and Sigourney Weaver . James Cameron . After Titanic , Cameron began a project that took almost 10 years to make : his science-fiction epic Avatar ( 2009 ) , which was in particular a landmark for 3D technology , and for which he received nominations for the same three Academy Awards . Not adjusted for inflation , Cameron 's Titanic and Avatar are the two highest-grossing films of all time at $ 2.19 billion and $ 2.78 billion respectively .