The polarizing Alita: Battle Angel might have spawned sequels (yes, plural) that are presently in the works, but if the latter wants to trump its predecessor, then the studio might want to make sure that James Cameron takes charge of the director’s chair. Sorry Robert Rodriguez, it’s what the fans want.
James Cameron Confirms New Alita: Battle Angel Films
After four years of empty reassurances, blood oaths, and no concrete updates, a much-awaited sequel to the cyberpunk action movie is now officially in development, or so it seems.
Earlier this year in May, Rodriguez, who helmed the first film, told Games Radar that a second installment is very much on the cards, the only factor that needs to be hashed out is the “when.” And while Alita: Battle Angel 2 hasn’t gotten any closer to being greenlit than it was a few months ago, it does look like the fan-favorite cyborg’s story is far from concluded.
In a conversation with Forbes about listing his $33 million paradisal mansion in California, James Cameron, who served as one of the producers, mentioned how he’s planning to work on the “new Alita: Battle Angel films” in Austin, signalling that more than one Alita sequel will get to see the light of day. Hopefully, when he says “working on,” he probably means “directing” because that’s what fans of the sci-fi film series have their minds set on, to have the visionary filmmaker shepherd the next of Alita’s ventures, not the Spy Kids director.
Related: James Cameron Draws a Blood Pact to Make Alita: Battle Angel Sequel After Avatar 2
Fans Demand Alita Sequels Be Directed by James Cameron
2019’s Alita: Battle Angel was by no means a coruscating blockbuster. Sure, its mesmerising visual effects and riveting action sequences called for some well-deserved praise, but Rodriguez barely managed to hit the mark with his directorial endeavours. And after a rather alarming opening weekend, the manga adaptation managed to rope in some $405 million globally, which if you look at its inflated production budget of at least $150-200 million, isn’t really a behemoth achievement.
Even Disney’s CEO Bob Iger has reportedly been keen on bringing in the Avatar director to lead the upcoming Alita sequels (via World of Reel). And well, do you really need a reason to want to see Cameron helm a movie? Exactly. So, it checks out why fans would want the same.
If he’s not directing I don’t care.
— a secret one (@a_secret_one) July 11, 2023
I hope they learned their lessons from the last one cause if it’s more of the same I’ll skip it entirely.
— Anthony W (@awashek3) July 11, 2023
I’m actually excited about this! Hopefully the quality stays the same or improves 👍🏽
— daisy⁷ 🥀🌸🩷 (@daisyrensolo) July 11, 2023
Hope Cameron is directing
— Sean “Sean Leonard” Leonard (@fastentilt) July 11, 2023
Is he directing? I remember him being asked
— YaBoiScooby (@DrewZuko) July 11, 2023
Whether or not that can be accomplished though, is a whole different story. Meanwhile, nothing besides an apparent confirmation on a potential Alita 2 has been announced yet, let alone a release date. So, there’s that.
Alita: Battle Angel can be streamed on Disney+.
Source: Forbes
