Alita: Battle Angel 2 Is Moving Forward: Director & Star In Talks

As it turns out, fans would be elated to learn that Alita: Battle Angel 2 is moving forward, with the project’s director and lead star in talks.

The 2019 cyberpunk action computer animated feature is finally getting the much awaited sequel. Producer Jon Landau shared insights on the developing sequel and apparently a good portion of its development has Avatar: The Way of Water to thank.

The first movie in 2019 had Robert Rodriguez at its helm starring Rosa Salazar. It seems that production affects both movies in such a way that everything they learn and improve on one is brought to the other. Alita: Battle Angel benefited on its animation from what James Cameron had with 2009 Avatar.

Then when the cyborg action character’s movie came out, developments for her production were applied to last year’s Avatar: The Way Of Water. Now, Landau says the advantage of learning the intricacies of facial expressions will be highly instrumental for the Battle Angel’s much-awaited sequel.

Alita: Battle Angel 2 Will Arrive In Theatres In Good Time

In an article from ScreenRant, while discussing the sequel to Avatar, Landau also got to talk about Alita. He said:

We’re working on it.

I think what we’ve learned from Avatar is how much more facial nuance and subtlety that we can get into characters that we want to be emotional and emote that are humanoid. Alita would not have been possible, but for what we did on Avatar.

Avatar: Way of Water would not be what it is but what we did for Alita. And now let’s put that back and give it back to Alita.

We’re talking to Robert and talking to Rosa and all is good.

Given this piece of information, it is highly likely that they will be keeping the director and the lead star on board. No change at the helm and no recasting of Alita will happen for the sequel. At least this much would signify that the transition from Fox to Disney is rather smooth so far as the franchise is concerned.

Alita: Battle Angel cashed in $401.9M in the worldwide box office from a budget of $170M. Even so, financial analysts have different interpretations. Some say the movie barely broke even while others report that the movie despite its nearly half a billion worth of ticket sales actually lost a few million.

In the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the movie had a whopping 92% Audience Score but got somewhat passable rating of 61% on the Tomatometer.

Cassidy Olsen from The Improper Bostonian reviewed:

Against all odds, Alita actually works. While previous live-action manga adaptations like Death Note and Ghost in the Shell came out bloated and disingenuous, Alita: Battle Angel is fun, fiery and focused enough to know what it’s about.

Alita: Battle Angel 2 Is Happening According to Producer

Alita Battle Angel 2 Is Moving Forward Director Star In Talks

Credit: 20th Century Fox

Fans of the series have long been waiting for the sequel because the 2019 movie itself practically promised the coming of one. Considering that it was just a one-time feature, people are already invested in the story that they cannot wait to learn what happens next.

For many, they are looking forward to seeing her regain her memories and finally come to terms to her purpose for just ‘being’. The futuristic yet rugged beat up look of Alita’s world shows how much hardship that the world had undergone. And for most of its inhabitants, they still undergo those hardships.

Definitely the movie will have a broader story in the sequel with more engaging action sequences and set pieces. We won’t be surprised if the sequel will have a recommendation for a 3D theatre.

What do you make of Alita: Battle Angel 2 happening with the same director and star? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcast, The Small Screen Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!