This Part Of The Alita: Battle Angel Script Had Rosa Salazar Geeking Out
There have been many Hollywood adaptations of Japanese manga and anime over the last decade, from Ghost in the Shell to Death Note. In many cases, these films fail to resonate with audiences because they make too many changes to the source material or just don't end up appealing to a mainstream American audience. The one major exception to this rule has been Alita: Battle Angel, which has developed a sizable following since its release in 2019.
The Alita Army has been incredibly vocal about their desire to see a sequel to the science-fiction/action film, and while there hasn't been any official confirmation yet, fans aren't giving up hope. Plenty of people are still wishing to get more adventures set within Iron City, and with nine volumes of manga from which to draw inspiration, there are certainly ample options for a follow-up.
The fans have plenty of powerful allies when it comes to making a sequel a reality, with producer James Cameron on-board for any future Alita installments. Even lead actress Rosa Salazar has gone on the record saying she'd love to come back for another motion-capture performance in another Alita movie (via Cinema Blend). It's clear from that interview and others that Salazar is a big fan of this franchise, and wants to see it continue. She's even gone on the record about the one moment in Alita's script that got her emotional just reading it.
Rosa Salazar loved the Alita script's big Damascus Blade moment
Before Alita: Battle Angel was even released, Screen Rant conducted an interview with Rosa Salazar in which she spoke at length about the audition process to land the lead role, as well as what it was like using a motion-capture suit for her performance. Salazar couldn't have been more complimentary about the shooting script from James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis, but she honed in on one particular moment that really caught her attention.
"I remember there was one part that my agent and I were geeking out over when we read it," Salazar recalled, "which is when she pulls the Damascus Blade away from Zapan. And it said, 'It's almost as if the Blade chose her.'" It's a powerful moment to be sure, and as fans know all too well, Alita immediately puts the weapon to good use by slicing part of Zapan's face off.
Salazar goes on to explain that while you can't necessarily express something like "the blade chose her" literally on film, it's just a cool moment: "It doesn't have any bearing on the script, or they're not gonna shoot that part... But it's... You're like, 'Yeah.' You're reading it, and you're so invested, and you're so in it that you're watching the movie in your mind." Salazar clearly wasn't the only one who was able to recognize the sheer talent and passion that went into the film. For numerous fans, Alita's the hero of a generation, and she deserves more stories to continue growing as a character.