The hit film served as a complete arc in itself, but Cameron noted that there is still a lot to tell.
Alita: Battle Angel is the 2019 American cyberpunk action film produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and based on Yukito Kishiro's cult-favorite manga series of the same name or Gunnm in Japanese. The film was in development since 2003 but was delayed repeatedly due to Cameron's work on Avatar and its sequels. The film finally made it to production in 2016 and was released three years later to critical acclaim.
The film follows the story of Alita, a cyborg who wakes up in a new body with no memory of her past and sets out to uncover her destiny. The first film was a hit and Cameron had always hoped to make follow-up films. Here's what's in store for the future of the film:
Ever since the first film was in development, the filmmakers were sure they wanted to create several sequels. The first film's director, Rodriguez, spoke to Digital Spy and stated: "Jim [Cameron] and I talked about it recently and we're still very interested. I told him, 'Let me deliver [The Book of Boba Fett] and then let's figure out a pitch.'" He served as an executive producer on the Disney+ American space Western series created by Jon Favreau.
The first film was released by Fox which has since been acquired by Disney. So it is up to Disney to determine whether to greenlight a sequel to Alita or not. The fans of the media franchise are keen for a sequel as well and the pressure from them could allow Disney to make a decision.
The first film ended in a satisfactory manner and served as a complete arc in itself. “It was fun, to get into the mind of Jim and how he crafts a story," Rodriguez said. "It was a real lesson in creating a character that could go on [for multiple movies]. Whether you have a franchise or not, you have a character that’s so rich that the audience can imagine more movies with, those are the kinds of characters that I like.” Cameron had also noted how Alita's long life has many mysteries yet to be addressed. There are plenty of plots to pick up from whether from the original manga or not, there is a lot to tell.
It is still unclear what they could pick up from but Rodriguez explained: "There's like one whole document about the trilogy. Because that's just part of his process. 'Here are three movies. Just so you know what to include in the first story and whatnot.'"
Rosa Salazar was cast as Alita and was praised for her performance in the film. She will definitely be coming back to the sequel as well when they decide to make it. "I would play Alita till my last breath," she had stated. "I would, and thanks to the performance capture technology, I probably could." Christoph Waltz as Dr. Dyson Ido. Alita's father figure will also most likely be coming back to the sequel. Keean Johnson as Hugo and Alita's love interest and the villainous Mahershala Ali as Vector may not be there in the sequel for obvious reasons.
Edward Norton appeared at the end of the film as Nova and may have a bigger role to play in the sequel. Similarly, Michelle Rodriguez as Gelda and Jai Courtney as Jashugan were meant to set up larger roles in a sequel.
So far, there has not been any concrete confirmation of a sequel yet. With Cameron still working on the Avatar sequels set for release all the way to 2028, and Rodriguez stating they are working on a pitch, it may take several years yet again for another Alita film. Hopefully, it does not take more than a decade, like last time and we get to see the sequel much sooner.
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