Robert Rodriguez is holding out hope for more Alita: Battle Angel

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

James Cameron had been developing Alita: Battle Angel for decades, but when it came time to pull the trigger, Cameron elected to focus on the Avatar sequels and handed the directing reins to Robert Rodriguez while remaining onboard as producer and co-writer. The film focused on Alita (Rosa Salazar), a cyborg who was awakened with no memory and was taken in by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), who recognized the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past.

Upon its release, Alita: Battle Angel was unfortunately met with mixed reviews and a lackluster box-office, seemingly dooming any plans for a sequel. That said, the film does have a passionate fan-base who are eager for the tale of Alita to continue. While speaking with Forbes, Robert Rodriguez also seems to be holding out hope that the franchise could return in some form, perhaps even as a streaming series now that they're owned by Disney.

I think anything is possible. Disney bought Fox, and they have Disney+, so that is worth the conversation. 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.

Robert Rodriguez isn't the only one involved with Alita: Battle Angel who could like to see it return, as Christoph Waltz enthusiastically voiced his interest in returning earlier this year. "Of course! Of course I would!" Waltz said. "But, you know, I’m as wise as you are. I haven’t heard anything and I’m a little disappointed and surprised that I haven’t heard a thing so far, because I know that it has followers. I know that people liked it and aside from what others said, I loved it and I liked working on it and I liked the result. You know, it was Fox and Fox doesn’t exist anymore. Now it’s Disney. Maybe it doesn’t fit into the Disneyfication, but I have no clue. I have no clue. Maybe they’re working on something and I wouldn’t be the first person to hear, but meanwhile, I haven’t heard anything." Rosa Salazar has also said that she "would play Alita ‘til my last breath, and thanks to the performance capture technology, I probably could." Will it happen? Who knows, but stranger things have certainly happened in Hollywood.