Producer Jon Landau has offered a promising update regarding the development of the highly sought after action sci-fi sequel, Alita: Battle Angel 2. Appearing at the London premiere of another long-awaited follow-up, Avatar: The Way of Water, Landau revealed to Deadline that he has been speaking with director Robert Rodriguez about finally getting another adventure for Alita: Battle Angel off the ground.
"There's a little film called Alita: Battle Angel that we would love to circle back and do a sequel to, and been talking to Robert [Rodriguez] about that and hopefully that comes to fruition."
The words of Jon Landau should come as music to the ears of fans of the first Alita: Battle Angel, many of whom have been calling for a sequel ever since the first movie landed back in 2019. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel is based on Yukito Kishiro's manga Gunnm and follows a young girl named Alita, a battle cyborg who awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize. She is taken in by Ido, a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past.
Rather frustratingly, Alita: Battle Angel ends on something of a cliffhanger, with Alita vowing to take the fight to the world's oppressors. A cliffhanger that has yet to be further explored. Alita: Battle Angel is led by Rosa Salazar, who portrays the title character through performance-capture animation. She is joined by the likes of Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, and Keean Johnson.
While a sequel has yet to get the greenlight, the first Alita: Battle Angel was a moderate success, earning $401.7 million at the worldwide box office. Sadly, this was not enough to guarantee another installment, of which producer James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez have planned several.
Could the Alita Army Fan Campaign Lead to Alita: Battle Angel 2 Getting the Greenlight?
Since the release of the first outing, Alita: Battle Angel has garnered a passionate fanbase. Calling themselves the Alita Army, the group has launched petitions, viral campaigns, and even flown a banner stating their desire for Alita: Battle Angel 2 over the Academy Awards ceremony as well as erecting several billboards in Los Angeles highlighting their cause.
It’s not just fans who want to see Alita do-battle again on the big screen, with star Rosa Salazar recently revealing how she pesters Rodriguez for the sequel. “I harass them all the time. Like, it might become a legal issue soon,” she said earlier this year. “I email with James Cameron a lot. … And he's always like, ‘I'm so down.’ Which is crazy to hear someone like James Cameron be like, ‘I'm so down!’ When we were in South by Southwest, I went over to Robert (Rodriguez)'s house and had tea, and was just talking about Alita.”
After waiting patiently since 2019, could Alita: Battle Angel 2 finally happen?