James Cameron has been wanting to get his big screen live action adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel off the ground for a very, very long time. Then he started work on all those Avatar sequels which have him tied up over the next several years. He’s obviously not going to have the opportunity to direct Alita: Battle Angel anytime soon, so he and his producing partner Jon Landau are going to hire someone else to do it.
According to Deadline, 20th Century Fox and Cameron are in talks with Robert Rodriguez to bring Yukito Kishiro’s graphic novel series to life. I wish Cameron had been able to do it because I know he would have given fans an incredible adaptation. At least he’s still producing it, so hopefully he can steer it in the right direction.
Cameron made the following statement about hiring Rodriguez:
“Robert and I have been looking for a film to do together for years, so I was pumped when he said he wanted to do Battle Angel. He’s very collaborative and we’re already like two kids building a go-kart, just having fun riffing creatively and technically. This project is near and dear to me, and there’s nobody I trust more than Robert, with his technical virtuosity and rebel style, to take over the directing reins. We’re looking forward to learning a lot from each other while we make a kick-ass epic.”
Rodriguez added:
“Battle Angel is an incredibly rich and vibrant epic in the tradition of Jim Cameron’s spectacular, character-driven films. Getting to work from Jim’s terrific and visionary script while learning the cutting edge techniques he’s pioneered is a master class in filmmaking. It’s an honor to explore the world of Alita along with Jim and Jon, whose films have impacted me for decades.”
The graphic novel is set the 26th century. It tells the story of Alita, “an amnesic female cyborg who is rescued from a scrapyard by a doctor. The rebuilt Alita, remembering only her training in a deadly martial art, becomes a hunter-warrior, tracking down and eliminating vicious criminals. Within the context of an epic action-adventure, the film will explore a young woman’s journey of self-discovery and finding love.”
More importantly, Cameron is finally moving forward with his live-action anime before he loses the rights to the property. There was no way he could personally handle Battle Angel by the time he is done with his Avatar sequels. I remember when another sci-fi franchise was farmed out to another director, because the producer’s schedule was too hectic. The year was 1980, and the end result was The Empire Strikes Back. If we get something half as good as that, I’d be ecstatic.
Hopefully, Rodriguez can dig deep and bring out that directing talent that used to shine in his earlier movies. Do you think he’s the right fit for Alita: Battle Angel? Comment below!