James Cameron confirms 'Alita: Battle Angel' will get a sequel: 'I have sworn a blood oath...'
Since its release in 2019, 'Alita: Battle Angel'—written and directed by James Cameron and directed by Robert Rodriguez—has become one of the most recognizable manga movie adaptations. Apart from making $404 million worldwide against its $170 million budget, 'Alita: Battle Angel', based on Yukito Kishiro’s 1990s manga, also found itself a loyal fanbase who formed 'The Alita Army' community. Since then, Cameron has found himself busy with several projects, including the highly anticipated 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', leaving many wondering about the future of Alita. Now, finally, Cameron has indicated that the Alita Army will be treated to a 'Alita: Battle Angel' sequel.
In a recent interview with Empire, while promoting 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', Cameron said, "I appreciate the loyalty of the Alita fans, Robert Rodriguez and I have sworn a blood oath to do at least one more Alita movie. In fact, we're thinking of an architecture that bridges to a third film, but we'll be satisfied if we can make one more. And we're making progress on that."
For the unversed, Yukito Kishiro's manga series, 'Battle Angel Alita' (originally titled 'Gunnm'), gained a cult status in the 1990s. The movie adaptation, 'Alita: Battle Angel', directed by Rodriguez, came across as a stylistic cyberpunk tale that did a good job of adding to the spirit of the source without tarnishing any of the elements that made the story so attractive in the first place.
'Alita: Battle Angel' follows the titular character, played by Rosa Salazar, who wakes up one day to find out that she's in a strange, futuristic world, one where she doesn't know anybody. She is soon taken in by the sympathetic doctor Ido, played by Christoph Waltz. Over time, Ido gets to know Alita's true inner self. Now, living in the bustling Iron City, Alita is joined by her friend Hugo. In effect, Ido and Hugo play as opposing forces in Alita's discovery of her memories. Ido tries to make Alita forget about her past, while Hugo seeks to have her remember the past by stimulating her recollection. Ultimately, Alita realizes her significant powers once she begins resisting a corrupt centre of power that has its sway over the city.
Despite having a full schedule preparing for the release of his next film in the 'Avatar' franchise, as well as the under-development titles of 'Last Train From Hiroshima' and 'The Devils', Cameron reiterated his excitement for 'Alita' during the interview with Empire. "Now that I have a home in Austin, Texas, about three miles from (Robert's) place, I think we'll probably get more serious about that as soon as I wrap the mix here in a few weeks." 'Alita: Battle Angel' is available for streaming on Hulu.