Filmmaker James Cameron is finally back with a long-delayed sequel to his box office juggernaut “Avatar” and even before “Avatar: The Way of Water” has been released the director has teased plans for two more sequels beyond the four installments that have been shot/written. While we’ve been focused mainly on Pandora there is another large effects-driven film that Cameron might be returning to as well.
On the red carpet for the premiere of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” producer Jon Landau brought up his intention to pursue a sequel to “Alita: Battle Angel.” A cyberpunk film focused on a female robot, Alita, that was directed by Robert Rodriguez. Despite Cameron being deeply involved creatively, the first movie had mixed-to-positive reactions and didn’t exactly light the box office on fire by earning $405 million at the global box office. Landau has now revealed to Deadline (See video below) that they’re hopeful about movement on a sequel and even teased meeting with Rodriguez about it.
READ MORE: Robert Rodriguez Hopes ‘Alita 2’ Could Come Back As A Disney+ Feature
“Well, there is a little film called ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ that we’d love to circle back and do a sequel to. We’re talking to Robert [Rodriguez] about that and hopefully, that comes to fruition,” Landau said.
Not a given that a sequel will happen, but Landau certainly sounds optimistic. Then again, the plan had (even going back to when Cameron was the director) always been to make a trilogy as the first film ended on an intended cliffhanger with the introduction of Edward Norton‘s Nova, expected to be the high-tech big bad of “Alita 2.”
Back in 2020, while Rodriguez didn’t confirm development on “Alita 2,” he said he was open to the idea of taking the sequel to Disney+. Then again, Rodriguez is notoriously a busy filmmaker in his own right and his return will likely come down to budget alongside scheduling.
Here is the original film’s synopsis via 20th Century:
When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
If you’re not familiar with the development of “Alita: Battle Angel,” Cameron had planned on writing and directing a trilogy of films based on the Japanese manga/anime. If you look at some of those original “Avatar” set photos Cameron is wearing a Battle Angel shirt and had shot early test footage for the film himself long before Rodriguez was brought on to direct. When the “Avatar” sequels became a priority for 20th Century Fox and Cameron, the director stepped back into a producer role and let Rodriguez take the reins as its director. Cameron wasn’t just a producer, he and longtime collaborator Laeta Kalogridis (“Avatar,” “Altered Carbon“) were behind the film’s script.