In 2019, Robert Rodriguez transformed the Yukito Kishiro manga series “Battle Angel Alita” into the cyberpunk action movie “Alita: Battle Angel”. Notably, James Cameron, who is renowned for co-writing the screenplay and producing it along with Jon Landau, the man behind the production of “Titanic”, also contributed to this film. Additionally, Christoph Waltz, an Academy Award winner, graced the screen in this movie. With such a powerful team involved, it was unexpected that the film didn’t start a franchise as anticipated by many.
The narrative unfolds in the year 2563, three centuries after Earth suffered devastation from a war waged against the United Republic of Mars. In this setting, the protagonist, Dr. Dyson, portrayed by Waltz, is a scavenger who discovers a female cyborg with an intact human mind. He revives her and bestows upon her the name Alita, in memory of his deceased daughter. The ensuing plot revolves around Alita’s involvement in a contest known as Motorball while evading an organization that illegally strips cyborgs of their valuable components for the government. However, to this day, there has been no sequel to the movie featuring Alita.
Alita: Battle Angel Was Actually Great
Alita Was A Perfect Set-Up For The Live-Action Manga World
It’s often mistakenly believed that Alita: Battle Angel bombed at the box office and therefore didn’t receive a sequel. However, this assumption is incorrect. While it did have a substantial budget for a Robert Rodriguez film (around $150-$200 million), it went on to earn an impressive $405 million worldwide – a record for a Rodriguez-directed movie. The issue seems to be that it only made $85.8 million in the US, which may have deterred Hollywood from greenlighting sequels. Despite this, Alita: Battle Angel was a fantastic film.
| Alita: Battle Angel critical & audience reviews | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes Critics | Rotten Tomatoes Audience | Metacritic | Metacritic User Score | IMDb |
| 61% | 91% | 53 | 8.5 | 7.3 |
In this instance, the public’s enthusiasm for the film surpasses that of critics, yet they didn’t become aware of it until streaming. Nevertheless, the ratings on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic were not abysmal, with the movie earning an above-average score. The majority of audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes commend the film for its stunning visuals and thrilling action sequences, but they were left frustrated by the ending. Regrettably, this is where the issue arises. Alita: Battle Angel set up a sequel with a strong first movie, but no progress has been made to advance the narrative since then.
What A Sequel To Alita: Battle Angel Could Look Like
There Are Several Manga Stories That Could Provide Inspiration
Battle Angel concludes with several unexplored plot threads, suggesting potential for subsequent sequels. The ending of the movie serves as a setup for future tales, yet still provides a fulfilling conclusion. Through Alita’s self-discovery in the first installment, there is ample room to delve deeper into this world. Central to the narrative, the topic of identity and human nature, presents an opportunity for rich, engaging sequels, stretching from the Scrapyard to the city of Zalem. Additionally, numerous stories drawn from the manga can be utilized as inspiration.
In the first film, we’re introduced to the main antagonist, Nova, portrayed by Edward Norton, who seems destined to be the primary adversary for Alita throughout the series. To accomplish her end goal of avenging Hugo’s (Keean Johnson) death, Alita must strive to become the ultimate champion in Motorball and confront Nova. This journey will undoubtedly involve overcoming Jashugan (Jai Courtney). The sequel might delve into Alita’s role as a Hunter-Warrior, potentially reintroducing Michelle Rodriguez as Gelda in her storyline.
What’s Known About A Potential Alita: Battle Angel Sequel
Everyone Wants To Make A Sequel, But One Man Is Stalling Production
A notable point about the sequel for “Alita: Battle Angel” is that many individuals associated with the first film are eager for a second installment, including Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron. However, it appears that the project isn’t moving forward as Cameron is currently occupied with his “Avatar” series. Interestingly, both the director, co-screenwriter, and even actor Rosa Salazar have expressed their readiness to revisit the franchise and continue Alita’s story on the big screen.
There’s a possibility that the upcoming sequels might address some of the initial film’s key issues, particularly Alita’s peculiar appearance and the uncanny valley look of other cyborgs, thanks to advancements in visual effects over the past five years. The Alita: Battle Angel franchise has amassed a significant fanbase, and a sequel could potentially outperform the first film. Nevertheless, since James Cameron hasn’t given the green light yet, it seems unlikely that a sequel will materialize any time soon.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
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2025-05-29 21:28