‘Avatar’ director James Cameron to celebrate his 56th birthday submerged in a submarine

James Cameron to celebrate his birthday underwater

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — James Cameron is going from outer space to under water.

The writer and director of “Avatar” says he’ll celebrate his 56th birthday Monday deep beneath Russia’s Lake Baikal. Cameron will be in a submersible about 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) from the surface of the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake — “unless it’s bad weather, in which case I’ll be getting drunk with the Russian crew in the port.”

A longtime ocean enthusiast, Cameron has other underwater projects in the works. He says he is building a submarine in Australia that will take him 36,000 feet underwater. He is also developing an upgraded 3-D underwater camera and has plans for an underwater feature film that he said he might make before taking on an “Avatar” sequel.

(This version CORRECTS that Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake not largest lake. )