With the current state of the entertainment industry, anything seems possible these days; especially when it comes to sequels to some of our favorite films. At least director Robert Rodriguez certainly seems to think so! With the rising prominence of streaming services, Rodriguez thinks it is entirely possible that we could still see a sequel to his 2019 blockbuster manga adaptation, Alita: Battle Angel, happen in the not too distant future!
Rodriguez, the mastermind behind hit films like The El Mariachi trilogy, From Dusk Til Dawn, and We Can Be Heroes and who most recently brought Boba Fett back to the Star Wars universe on The Mandalorian, thinks that there is still hope for an Alita sequel because the fan demand is there and Disney has absolutely noticed.
The first (and currently only) Alita film was released by 20th Century Fox not long before the studio was acquired by Disney. Once Disney came into the picture, the plans for an Alita sequel were quietly shut down in early development stages. Christoph Waltz, who played Doctor Ido in the film, believes that the Alita sequel never moved forward because the darker tone of the film did not fit well with the Disney brand.
Alita: Battle Angel was first released in 2019 and is based on Yukito Kishiro’s 1990’s Battle Angel Alita manga series. The manga has previously been adapted as an anime film in 1993 and loosely adapted by James Cameron for television as Dark Angel in 2000. Cameron, who also produced Rodriguez’s Alita adaptation, spent years trying to get a live-action film version of the brand off the ground before sinking all of his time into making Avatar.
The Alita project was dead until Rodriguez came along and brought new life to it, launching it as a cyberpunk sci-fi action film that went on to become Rodriguez’s highest-grossing release with a $404-million dollar global box office take. While it did well at the box office and was well-received by audiences, it still fell under studio expectations and hopes for a full franchise and sequels quieted down quickly after the film was released.
The film tells the story of a cyborg named Alita (Rosa Salazar) who was rescued from the scrapheap and brought back to life by the mysterious Doctor Ido (Christoph Waltz). Finding herself in an all-new cybernetic body with no memory of her previous life, Alita sets out to find her place in the world and uncover her past so she can find her future. The movie was dark, and it was violent, but at the center of it was a story with real heart. Salazar’s performance as the cyborg Alita was met with much acclaim although the film itself was not well received by most critics.
In an interview with Forbes to promote his new Netflix film We Can Be Heroes, Robert Rodriguez touched on his hopes for the future of Alita. Rodriguez believes that with the Disney+ streaming service, Disney has opened up the door to any number of new sequels and franchise revivals and that this is the perfect place for Alita to return. Rodriguez believes that Disney knows that the fans are there and that it’s only a matter of time:
I think anything is possible. Disney bought Fox, and they have Disney+, so that is worth the conversation. I know other people would love to see another, and I would love to do another one. As far as where it would go or how it would be made, I think streaming has opened up many opportunities such as sequels. It’s already a pre-sold concept, it’s already got a built-in audience that wants to see it, and then it’s delivered to them in a way that’s the easiest for them to consume. So, it’s not a bad idea.
Since its initial release, Alita: Battle Angel has built a rabid fanbase that supports the film and has been begging for news of a sequel. One online group that calls themselves ‘The Alita Army‘ even launched an online campaign to demand that a sequel be made. The campaign received the support of both director Robert Rodriguez and producer James Cameron, and after appealing to Cinemark theaters, the film returned to theaters on October 30th, 2020, in an effort to drum up more interest in making Alita 2 happen.
While there has been no official confirmation of anything happening from Disney, there have been rumors running for months that Disney is considering developing both an Alita sequel film and a prequel television series for their Disney+ streaming platform.
Disney has largely held back from discussing many of their projects that are in development for licenses that were acquired in the 20th Century Fox deal. Aside from the announcement of their new television series based on Alien and a Fantastic Four movie in development at Marvel Studios, Disney has kept fairly mum on Fox properties that we already know have projects in the works including brands like Avatar, Kingsman, and Predator, so it is likely that they are just waiting for the right time to make announcements for many of these properties; including Alita: Battle Angel.
While Alita: Battle Angel was met with mixed reviews and only brought in $170-million in the U.S., it did exceptionally well in several Asian markets including China, Malaysia, and South Korea. As Disney is planning on expanding their Disney+ streaming service to an international market, a brand like Alita: Battle Angel could be just the hot ticket they need to bolster their global subscription numbers.
Alita Battle Angel stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson, Jeff Fahey, Casper Van Dien, Jai Courtney, Eiza Gonzalez, Derek Mears, and Edward Norton. The 2019 sci-fi epic was directed by Robert Rodriguez based on a script by James Cameron who also produced the film.
Hopefully, we will find out more about a potential continuation of the Alita franchise in the not too distant future. Until then, we wait to see if her legend continues.
Are you hoping to see a sequel to Alita: Battle Angel happen? Or do you think it is better to leave the license be, as a one and done film that left a number of plots open? Let us know in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more updates on Alita: Battle Angel!
