Will There Be A Sequel To Alita: Battle Angel? Here's What We Know

It's been a few years since "Alita: Battle Angel" graced our screens and freaked us all out with its bold tiptoe towards the uncanny valley. Even so, Rosa Salazar still managed to make herself convincing as Alita, the charming yet lethal cyborg who is found and taken in by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), a scientist who senses Alita's potential when he comes across her dismantled body discarded in a scrapyard. After nursing — or is it repairing? — her back to life, it begins to become increasingly clear that Alita is not your average cyborg. In fact, she used to fight for the enemy as a Berseker trained in the advanced martial arts technique of Panzer-Kunst. Despite her dark past, she remains committed to doing good with her strength and battle prowess, proving as much as she hacks, slashes, and rolls her way through the two-hour film. 

Based on the '90s Japanese manga created by Yukito Kishiro under the title "Battle Angel Alita," the film adaptation only manages to cover a very small fraction of the original story. The manga, "Battle Angel Alita" spans nine volumes with several spin-offs. That's a lot of material to cover in a feature-length film, which begs the question, will we ever get an "Alita: Battle Angel" sequel? At the end of the first film, it's very clear that the movie was set up with a sequel in mind. Alita, after having endured quite a lot at the hands of all those looking to kill her, has promised to seek vengeance on those living in Zalem, the wealthy city in the sky, and in the final shots, we see a goofy looking Edward Norton as the character Nova, looking down towards Alita and her world of Iron City, seemingly begging her to take action. I don't know about you, but this final moment left me feeling extremely unfulfilled, and even though "Alita: Battle Angel" is far from a perfect film, it sure would be nice to get that sequel filled with even more savage battles and rollerball goodness.  

Here is what we know about a possible sequel. First and most depressingly, there has been absolutely no official green light for an "Alita" sequel. This is sad news for fans of the fast-paced manga, but just because a second film hasn't been confirmed doesn't mean there still isn't plenty of chatter surrounding the possibility of another movie.

To start, there are the fans. People who love "Alita," really love "Alita." So much so that last year, they raised nearly $2,000 to purchase and fly a banner over the 92nd Academy Awards red carpet. The banner simply read, "#Alitasequel #Alitaarmy." Now that is some serious fan dedication. Fans of the film have been extremely vocal about their love of the movie, and one can hope that this passion is enough to convince the folks of Hollywood to commit to another round of rollerball. Still, many have sighted a possible problem with an "Alita" sequel lies in the fact that Disney studios recently acquired 20th Century Fox. This shift in ownership means it will be up to Disney to decide whether or not investing in another "Alita" movie is truly worth the time and money. One can hope that with the launch of Disney+, the company might be more willing to invest in a sequel if they can launch it wherever and whenever they choose.

The film did not have an initially huge projection for its earnings, but it ended up making over $400 million worldwide during the course of its time in theaters. It seems "Alita" fans were underestimated even from the very beginning, thought it's hard for me to comprehend why. American sales of the popular Japanese manga have been steadily increasing for years. Bookstores are having to expand their previously slim selection to accommodate the demand for these particular types of stories, and anime has also become increasingly popular over the past few decades. Anyone who walks into a Hot Topic now a days can see this. The store is practically bursting with displays of manga and anime merch. No more bondage pants and barbed wire bracelets for sale here (though you can still buy a "Nirvana" shirt thank god)! My point is though that manga and anime are hot, and Disney would be foolish not to cash in on "Alita" while the iron's still hot.  

Everyone knows that a sequel will never see the light of day if the actors who actually make the magic happen have no interest in returning to continue the story. Thankfully, though, that is not the case with "Alita: Battle Angel." In fact, many of the members of the original cast have expressed their interest in returning to make another film if given the opportunity.

Rosa Salazar who plays Alita has even said she "would play Alita till [her] last breath," which is some pretty serious dedication to a role. Christoph Waltz has also expressed interest in returning to play his role of Dr. Ido if given the opportunity. In an interview with Collider when asked about the prospect of returning to his role, he said, "Of course! Of course I would!" Still, he recognizes that a lot would have to happen before a sequel would ever be confirmed. It's good to know that both he and Salazar would be game to come back, though. After all, what would "Alita" be without the two of them? Just a discarded old heap of cyborg junk, that's what!

Even so, while the fate of the franchise is as up in the air as Zalem, we're all just going to have to continue with our lives down here in Iron City, just waiting and hoping for another glimpse inside that fabled castle in the sky.