Will ‘Alita’ fans ever see ‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’? The creators think so

Over the last year, the film industry has seen an onslaught of changes made to adjust to the unprecedented times we’re living in. The prior standards for theaters & box-offices no longer make sense among many other things in the pandemic.

Yet, a highly fan-requested movie was re-released theatrically. Alita: Battle Angel was available for Alita Army to watch (as per their request) on the big-screens last month and now fans await its sequel.

Released in 2019, Alita: Battle Angel is a blockbuster cyberpunk action film based on Japanese manga artist Yukito Kishiro’s 1990s series Battle Angel Alita and its 1993 original video adaption.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, the movie revolves around an animated cyborg, Alita – played by Rosa Salazar – who awakens in a new body with no recollection of her past and subsequently, sets out to discover her identity & purpose.

Alita: Battle Angel 2

Alita Army’s second conquest is for Alita: Battle Angel 2 to be released. The fan group had even launched a campaign online to push forth the agenda – the creators on the same page. So, what’s the problem?

Apparently, Director Rodriguez and producer James Cameron had always planned for Alita: Battle Angel to have not one but multiple sequels and further develop its fictional world. But Disney’s recent acquisition of Fox and the formation of Disney + had temporarily disturbed those plans for a sequel.

The disruption is understandable since Fox had produced & distributed Alita: Battle Angel as its last independent project before merging with Disney. However, when Robert Rodriguez was asked if Alita: Battle Angel 2 would see the light of day at the recent Investor’s Day, his hopeful response excited the ardent fans of the film:

“I think anything is possible. [. . .] 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.”

Disney + revival

Alita: Battle Angel is one of the highest-grossing films of Robert Rodriguez, raking a stellar $404 million worldwide and surpassing his older hits like the Spy Kids film series.

Recently, it was heard through the grapevine that Alita: Battle Angel 2 and a possible prequel series based on the films could be launched on Disney+. But no official confirmation has been made by Disney except for the nonchalant words of the director.

Disney also seems to be wary of talking about any big projects acquired via Fox as there was not a single mention of Avatar 2 or The Planet of Apes at the conglomerate’s Investor’s Day event – two magnum opuses of Fox that have a great potential for expansion. We hope Disney’s choice to not focus on these projects currently is all part of Disney’s bigger picture.

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The Book of Boba Fett, a new Original Series, starring Temuera Morrison and @MingNa Wen and executive produced by @Jon_Favreau, @Dave_Filoni, and Robert @Rodriguez, set within the timeline of #TheMandalorian, is coming to #DisneyPlus Dec. 2021. pic.twitter.com/vAoPWpxquq

— Disney+ (@disneyplus) December 21, 2020

Along with a potential Alita: Battle Angel 2, fans of Robert Rodriguez’s work can also look forward to his upcoming Disney+ effort, The Book of Boba Fett – a standalone spin-off of The Mandalorian universe set to release Dec. 2021 according to DisneyPlus’s Twitter.

Rodriguez’s new Netflix feature film We Can Be Heroes – a standalone action sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl – is also out now! Perfect for a chill holiday movie night with friends & family.