Ali has 2 roles in Alita: Battle Angel, Connelly and Rodriguez join the cast

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

We learned back in October that Mahershala Ali would be re-teaming with PREDATORS producer Robert Rodrigeuz to play a role in the managa adaptation ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, which Rodriguez is directing and James Cameron is producing. At the time it was said that Ali would be playing a character named Vector, who "runs and fixes matches in a gladiator-style combat game called Motorball."

This past Sunday, Ali won an Academy Award for his performance in Best Picture winner (sorry LA LA LAND) MOONLIGHT, and while speaking with the press he revealed that Vector isn't the only character he'll be playing in ALITA.

I'm really excited about Alita:Battle Angel. I actually play two parts in that film. That was a blast. I literally wrapped that maybe two weeks ago."

Unfortunately, he didn't reveal any details on his second character. 

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL is the story of 

a female cyborg that is discovered in a scrap yard by a scientist. With no memory of her previous life except her deadly martial-arts training, the woman becomes a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals.

Rosa Salazar is playing the female cyborg, with Christoph Waltz as her mentor and Keean Johnson as her love interest Hugo, who teaches her how to play Motorball. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is a friend to Hugo, Jackie Earle Haley and Ed Skrein are villainous cyborgs, Leonard Wu is playing another cyborg, Lana Condor is an orphaned photographer, and Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series star Eiza González is on board as a mystery character.

There have been a few additions to the cast since we last reported on ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL. Marko Zaror is Motorball player Ajakutty; Michelle Rodriguez is playing the cyborg Gelda, who is a mother figure to Alita in the manga; and Jennifer Connelly is one of the villains.

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL is scheduled to be released on July 20, 2018. So it might be a while before we find out who Ali's second character is.

Jennifer Connelly