James Cameron has been working on his Avatar films for years. A somewhat smaller science fiction movie has therefore been waiting for a sequel for quite some time, despite being very well received by audiences.
Which movie is it? Alita: Battle Angel was released in 2019 and was supposed to be directed by James Cameron. He had been working on the project for many years and co-wrote the script with Laeta Kalogridis.
The film is based on the manga Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro. It is a series with 9 volumes that was first published in 1991 and has since earned a good reputation among fans of science fiction stories, particularly in the cyberpunk genre. Further editions followed.
James Cameron, however, stepped down from the director’s position, and Robert Rodriguez became the new director of the film. He had previously directed mainly action-packed films such as From Dusk Till Dawn, Machete, or Sin City.
In Alita: Battle Angel, it is about a destroyed cyborg girl whose remnants are found and reassembled by a scientist. Equipped with the new name Alita, she embarks on a quest to discover her origins and relies on her impressive combat skills, which exceed those of a normal human thanks to cybernetic technology.
No sequel despite enthusiastic viewers
How was the film received? Alita: Battle Angel attracted many viewers to theaters in 2019 and grossed around €348 million on a budget of approximately €146 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Therefore, one can speak of a slight success by Hollywood standards, as in addition to the production costs, about the same amount goes to marketing. A film must, therefore, gross at least double the production costs to avoid being labeled a flop.
While the critics were only moderately enthusiastic, giving it an average rating of 61% (from 329 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience’s response was completely different. They rated it a robust 91% (from over 25,000 reviews).
Considering the box office results and audience opinion, it is surprising that no sequel has been released to this day. James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez are both supportive of the idea of making a second film.
In an interview with Empire, Cameron recently stated:
Robert Rodriguez and I made a blood oath to make at least one more Alita film. In fact, we are considering a structure that bridges to a third film, but we would be satisfied if we could make just one more film. And we are making progress. Now that I have a house in Austin, Texas, about three miles from [Robert’s] house, I think we will probably approach it more seriously.
James Cameron
Robert Rodriguez has also hinted in the past that the two are thinking about a sequel. The reason Alita: Battle Angel has not received a second installment to this day could also be that James Cameron has been very busy for years.
After all, he has been making his epic and very successful Avatar series for 16 years now. Since 2009, two films have been released, with Part 3 set to follow in December 2025. Two more are planned, and filming is already underway.
For this reason, Cameron has little time for other projects. So whether the sequel to Alita: Battle Angel will appear before the end of the Avatar films is questionable. The director also plans to shoot Ghosts of Hiroshima, a film about the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945. Cameron has a lot on his plate and is not the youngest at 71.
What do you think about it? Have you seen Alita: Battle Angel and were you similarly enthusiastic as the users on Rotten Tomatoes? What would you expect from a sequel? Please share your opinions and ideas in the comments. Cameron also has thoughts on current debates: James Cameron names 3 existential threats to humanity, one of which has already triggered the apocalypse in Terminator
