Years ago,James Cameronwas debating between making two projects:AvatarandAlita: Battle Angel. As we all know, he choseAvatar, which went on to become the highest-grossing movie in history and has led to the visionary director spending the last few years developing four sequels, the first of which is currently filming.
WhileAlita: Battle Angelcould have been left in the scrap pile of ideas and half-written scripts, never to see the light of day, the project had at least one person hungry to see it on movie screens: directorRobert Rodriguez.
During the 20th Century Fox panel at this past weekend’s CCXP (Comic-Con Experience) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Robert Rodriguez and producerJon Landautook the stage withErico Borgofrom Omelete to talk about the upcoming science-fiction film and to show off the world premiere of the first trailer (which you can watch here).
During the Q&A, Rodriguez and Landau talked about how the project came together, the world ofBattle Angel, the rating, why it took so long to get made, who Alita is, and how Rodriguez ended up helming the project.
If you’re not familiar withAlita: Battle Angel, it’s based on the graphic novel seriesBattle Angel AlitabyYukito Kishiro. From the official synopsis which is pretty in-depth:
“Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. Everything is new to Alita, every experience a first. As she learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield Alita from her mysterious past while her street-smart new friend, Hugo (Keean Johnson), offers instead to help trigger her memories. A growing affection develops between the two until deadly forces come after Alita and threaten her newfound relationships. It is then that Alita discovers she has extraordinary fighting abilities that could be used to save the friends and family she’s grown to love. Determined to uncover the truth behind her origin, Alita sets out on a journey that will lead her to take on the injustices of this dark, corrupt world, and discover that one young woman can change the world in which she lives.”
The film also starsMahershala Ali,Eiza González,Jennifer Connelly,Michelle Rodriguez,Jackie Earle Haley,Ed Skrein, andCasper Van Dien.
Check out the list of ten things to know aboutAlita: Battle Angelbelow.
WithAlita: Battle Angelhitting theaters next July, I’d expect the marketing of the film to amp up in the coming months. Until then, check out some of our other CCXP 2017 coverage below.
