Talk surrounding the potential release of Alita: Battle Angel 2 is heating up.
James Cameron (known for his record-breaking success with the Avatar franchise) wrote the screenplay alongside director Robert Rodriguez on 2019's Alita: Battle Angel. The film quickly became a cult classic and finished its box office run with over $400 million on a reported $170 million budget.
Since Alita's debut, discussion has been rampant about a potential sequel being greenlit, especially since fans highly praised the original.
What We Know About Alita Battle Angel's Potential Sequel
Multiple trending YouTube videos reignited intrigue about whether Alita: Battle Angel 2 could be developed and released more than five years after the original film hit theaters.
In December 2022, producer Jon Landeau offered an update on an Alita sequel, noting that he would "love to circle back and do a sequel" with the right opportunity:
“Well, there’s a little film called 'Alita: Battle Angel' that we’d love to circle back and do a sequel to. And we’ve been talking to Robert [Rodriguez] about that, and hopefully, that comes to fruition."
When asked about a release date for Alita: Battle Angel 2, he explained that he would "never put a timeframe on anything" due to fans and media holding it against him:
"Look I’ll never put a time frame on anything because you guys will hold it against me.”
Speaking again on the subject in May 2023 with Screen Rant, Landeau noted that he and his team were "working on it." One major focus was getting the right "facial nuance and subtlety...into characters," looking back to the Avatar films as a comparison due to the work Alita did to help make movies like that possible:
"We're working on it. I think what we've learned from Avatar is how much more facial nuance and subtlety that we can get into characters that we want to be emotional and emote that are humanoid. Alita would not have been possible, but for what we did on 'Avatar.' 'Avatar: Way of Water' would not be what it is but what we did for Alita. And now let's put that back and give it back to Alita. We're talking to Robert and talking to Rosa and all is good."
Cameron also touched on the topic with Forbes in July 2023, noting that he was working on "the new Alita: Battle Angel films," indicating there were multiple sequels in progress:
"And on 'Avatar,' I’m working in Wellington and Los Angeles. And on the new 'Alita: Battle Angel' films, I’ll be working in Austin, so it just didn’t make sense for us anymore."
So Will a Alita Battle Angel 2 Ever Release?
As of writing, Alita: Battle Angel has a few hurdles to overcome before it could go into production.
First and foremost is James Cameron's busy schedule with the Avatar franchise, which will continue in December 2025 with Avatar: Fire and Ash. This, along with the other Avatar sequels planned for the decade ahead, should keep him busy. However, considering Cameron's resume, many would not be shocked to see him make progress on an Alita sequel.
Sadly, any potential sequels would have to proceed without Jon Landeau, who passed away in July 2024 after a reported battle with cancer. Given his involvement with Alita: Battle Angel, the franchise's future will be that much more challenging without his input and insight.
These quotes about the sequel's development within the past year mean Alita: Battle Angel 2 cannot be considered dead just yet. However, with no tangible progress being made on its development, it may be some time until fans hear anything more official on a potential release.
Alita: Battle Angel is streaming on Hulu.
