Alita: Battle Angel Fans Just Got The Best Sequel News In A Long Time
2019's "Alita: Battle Angel" helped raise the bar when it comes to live-action adaptations of beloved manga series. The film, directed by Robert Rodriguez with a script written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis, is a cyberpunk thriller centered around a wide-eyed teenage cyborg (Rosa Salazar). The film did okay at the box office — grossing more than $400 million worldwide versus its speculated $170-$200 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). It also spawned a group of die-hard fans, dubbed the Alita Army, who dedicate themselves to all things involving the film, including vouching for a sequel.
"Alita: Battle Angel" left viewers with plenty of lingering questions, especially considering there's absolutely no shortage of source material from Yukito Kishiro's manga series. The first film took a while to come together, so it's not a shock that a sequel has yet to materialize, especially considering Rodriguez is busy at work on projects like "The Book of Boba Fett." But members of the Alita Army who are ready for another movie just got great news from Rodriguez about the franchise.
Alita: Battle Angel's director hasn't forgotten about the franchise
Robert Rodriguez recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming Disney+ "Star Wars" spin-off "The Book of Boba Fett," which is slated to premiere at the end of December. The director spoke of the mountain of projects he's working on, and even teased that he's still interested in developing a long-awaited sequel for "Alita: Battle Angel" once he gets a few items off of his plate. "Jim and I talked about it recently and we're still very interested," Rodriguez said. "I told him, 'Let me deliver Boba and then let's figure out a pitch.'" So while it's not an official announcement, it sounds like Rodriguez and James Cameron have not abandoned the fans who are calling for Rosa Salazar's teenage cyborg to continue her action-packed journey.
An "Alita: Battle Angel" sequel is sure to give fans more information regarding the origin story of the CGI-heavy protagonist, as well as expand the characterization of figures like Jai Courtney's Jashugan and Edward Norton's Nova. But considering the attention to detail in the first film, filmmakers for the "Alita: Battle Angel's" sequel will likely take their time to perfect their next chapter in Alita's story.