Ed Skrein's attempt to fill in for Jason Statham as hero Frank Martin in TRANSPORTER: REFUELED didn't set the box office on fire, but he did play the villain in one of the most popular movies of 2016, DEADPOOL, so it makes sense that he'd land more villain roles in high profile movies. Skrein has now been hired to play a baddie in the Robert Rodriguez-directed, James Cameron-produced live action adaptation of the futuristic manga ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL.
Set in the 26th century, ALITA tells of a female cyborg that is discovered in a scrapyard 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 (pictured below) is set to play the female cyborg, with Christoph Waltz as her mentor Doctor Dyson Ido and Jackie Earle Haley as a villainous, monstrous cyborg.
Judging by these descriptions, it sounds like Haley and Skrein's characters might be buddies. Skrein will be playing Zapan, "a villainous cyborg who is in possession of a weapon called the Damascus Blade."
I know zero about the BATTLE ANGEL manga beyond what Wiki articles tell me, but this project seems interesting. Filming on this adaptation is expected to begin in October in Austin, Texas.