When manga or anime become live-action movies, things often go wrong. But exceptions prove the rule. In 2019, "Alita: Battle Angel" was able to convince both viewers and critics. The hit adaptation by Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron ended with a cliffhanger, leaving fans around the world asking: When is "Alita 2" coming?

There is no lack of story material: the first movie merely covers the first two volumes of the nine-part manga series. In addition, "Battle Angel Alita: Other Stories" also offers an alternative ending that can be taken into consideration. Since there have been frequent statements from the film team about the "Alita" sequel lately, we would like to bring you up to date with this article.

Production

Naturally, for "Alita: Battle Angel 2" it is logical to bring together those responsible for the successful predecessor. Producer Jon Landau recently told us that efforts are already underway to get action legend Robert Rodriguez to take over as director again - but so far there has been no final commitment.

Another important contributor to the project is "Avatar" creator James Cameron. He was the main driving force behind adapting the manga into a film in the first place, and originally even planned on directing the film. In the end, he passed this task on to Rodriguez, but he did write the script for "Alita: Battle Angel", for example. In an interview with Forbes, which was actually about the sale of his mansion, he revealed some amazing details about the franchise: He is currently working in Austin, Texas on the next "Alita: Battle Angel" movies - yes, movies. Plural. So apparently not only part 2 is in the works, but possibly also an "Alita 3" and more. In view of the extensive story, that's actually not all that surprising. In an older interview, Cameron disclosed that more than 600 pages of notes were written during the filming of Part 1.

In addition to Rodriguez and Cameron, two other names are inseparably linked with the film: Lead actress Rosa Salazar as well as Christoph Waltz. Both have already expressed that they are excited to return for the cast of "Alita 2".

Possible Plot of "Alita 2"

In the fascinating world of "Battle Angel Alita", there are endless possibilities for an exciting second film. Taking the original mangas from the nineties and the first movie as a starting point, there are several promising storylines for the realization. The previous film focused mainly on the first two volumes of the manga and part of the third volume, which deals with Alita's quick rise in Motorball and the tragic loss of Hugo.

A promising take on the second part is Alita's life as a Hunter-Warrior and her attempts to come to terms with her grief for Hugo. Her mysterious past also offers plenty of potential for a deep dive. However, the question of Zalem, the floating city in the sky, looms over everything: What does it look like, and who inhabits it?

A fascinating aspect that was hinted at in the first movie is the removal of brains from some adults. They are controlled by microchips, which gives Nova control over their bodies. It's questionable how many of these zombies there actually are in Iron City and what role they will play. So far, Nova has been presented to us as the main villain, but there's another character who has a personal score to settle with Alita: Zapan was badly injured by Alita in Part 1 and is obviously out for revenge. For this, he will surely get mighty support from Zalem.

In the manga, there is an exciting character that could make his debut in "Alita 2": Namely Kaos, he possesses psychometric abilities and can learn about other people's pasts by touching them. He plays a major role in uncovering Alita's mysterious warrior past. This would be an ideal way to tie in with the manga prequel "Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle". Not only do these works deal with the great war, but also with life on Mars and Earth, as well as the conflicts between the two planets.

So, there is plenty of source material and interesting possibilities for a second film in the "Alita: Battle Angel" series. We strongly assume that James Cameron will continue to strongly follow the original manga, but, of course, it remains exciting to find out which aspects the focus will be on and which details may be left out.

When is "Alita: Battle Angel 2" Coming?

With all these options, there is still the question of when "Alita 2" will be released. Well, patience is still required in this regard, because regardless of how far James Cameron has made progress on the project, as long as the writers' strike continues in the United States, a finished script is unlikely to be available anytime soon. Long-term plans for signing up the crew and actors are also doubtful at this point. Even if everything goes well, we don't anticipate a theatrical release before 2025 or 2026.