For more than a decade, filmmakerJames Cameronhas been working to bringAlita: Battle Angelto the big screen. At one point, the sci-fi thriller was set to be his long-awaited follow-up to 1997’sTitanic. After several years in development, we reported last year thatJames Cameronwas passing the directorial reins over toRobert Rodriguez, withJames CameronandJon Landauproducing through their Lightstorm Entertainment company. Today we have a new update on this gestating project, which reveals that 20th Century Fox is close to finding its leading lady.
The Hollywood Reporterreveals that the studio is zeroing in on its finalists for the title role. Actresses who have tested thus far includeZendaya Coleman, who recently landed a leading role inSpider-Man: Homecoming,Bella Thorne(The DUFF),Maika Monroe(Independence Day: Resurgence) andRosa Salazar(The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials). Sources claim thatZendaya Colemanmay be the front runner at this time, but the actress may have scheduling complications with her hit Disney Channel TV series,K.C. Undercover.
The site’s sources also state thatJames CameronandJon LandauwantAlita: Battle Angelto be a “star-making vehicle” for an up and coming young actress, in the same way that their TV seriesDark Angellaunched the career ofJessica Alba. A final decision on who will star in the movie is expected to be made over the next few weeks. The movie still doesn’t have an official green light from 20th Century Fox yet, since the studio is trying to bring the budget down, which is currently between $175 million and $200 million.
Based on the graphic novel series byYukito Kishiro,Alita: Battle Angelis set in the 26th Century, with the story centering on Alita, an amnesiacfemale cyborgwho is rescued from a junkyard by a doctor. The cyborg is rebuilt, only remembering her martial arts training, as she is programmed to hunt and take down violent criminals, while she goes on her own journey of self-discovery.James Cameronco-wrote the screenplay with hisAvatarco-writerLaeta Kalogridis, but it isn’t known ifRobert Rodriguezhas been re-writing the script as well.
20th Century Fox hasn’t issued a release date forBattle Angelquite yet, and it isn’t known when production may begin. It seems that after a decade of development,Alita: Battle Angelis finally getting close to going before cameras, but we’ll have to wait and see who will be named the lead actress. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates onAlita: Battle Angel.
