With the impending December 19th release of the sci-fi epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third entry in the incomprehensibly successful Avatar franchise, writer, producer, and director James Cameron is doing the obligatory press tour to promote his latest movie. Thus, it’s hard to imagine that this modern day renaissance man would have anything else on his mind.
Yet, you’d be wrong!
In a newly released interview with Empire, Cameron found the time to offer a promising update on the long-awaited sequel to 2019’s Alita: Battle Angel, which he co-wrote and produced, while Robert Rodriguez directed, stating:
“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.”
While it’s encouraging enough that Cameron referenced the passionate fanbase and there’s even the ambition for a potential threequel, but “a sworn blood oath” to make at least one sequel are strong words indeed. It also helps that Cameron and Rodriguez now live very close to one another and can begin to focus on the sequel fans are clamouring for…once Cameron can find the time, of course!
Alita: Battle Angel is an adaptation of the manga series Battle Angel Alita by Japanese artist Yukito Kishiro, which centres on the titular Alita, an amnesiac cyborg that was found badly damaged and revived by her father figure, Ido. Alita eventually looks to unlock the memories of her past, which in turn she hopes can reveal her true destiny.
Cameron toiled for years to get the adaptation made, first announcing it in 2003, but it wasn’t until Rodriguez signed on in 2016 that production finally got in motion. It’s no surprise it took so long either, as this is a high concept sci-fi action movie that demands an enormous budget (which was ultimately between $150-200 million budget, without even accounting for marketing), and Cameron is also known for pushing the envelope of special effects, or even waiting until technology catches up with his vision, which is why there was such a large gap between Avatar and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water.
The resulting movie is an enjoyable sci-fi flick with stunning visuals and CGI, though it was somewhat let down by a safe, predictable story and a distractingly weak supporting turn from Keean Johnson as Alita’s love interest, Hugo. However, it also boasts what should have been a star-making turn for Alita actress Rosa Salazar, which is particularly impressive when you consider that she went toe-to-toe with co-stars and Oscar winners such as Jennifer Connelly, Christoph Waltz, and Mahershala Ali.
In spite of its flaws, Alita: Battle Angel is a cult movie that has a proudly vocal fanbase who have continued to push for a sequel, as humbly recognized by James Cameron himself. While the movie can certainly exist as a standalone feature, the ending, which sees Alita pointing at Zalem while Nova – the actual big bad of the manga series who is played here by Edward Norton – watches over, explicitly hinting at the intent for a sequel.
However, the fact that Alita: Battle Angel failed to even break even at the worldwide box office means that it will be an uphill battle for Cameron and Rodriguez to secure the budget for a sequel. Nonetheless, perhaps the fervent fanbase as well as these filmmakers’ own star power can be incentive enough for the studio to take another risk.