It’s almost hard to believe that 13 years after the original, the slate of new movie releases finally sees the release of Avatar: The Way of Water making its way to theaters. Fans of James Cameron’s record-setting franchise starter kept the faith through delays, setbacks and pitfalls, with their patience being rewarded in the days to come. So it only seems appropriate that some of those fans are also part of the army of Alita: Battle Angel devotees, and their continued inspiration to producer Jon Landau couldn’t have come at a better time.
As our own Sean O’Connell spoke with Landau during 20th Century Studios’ press day for Avatar: The Way of Water, the potential sequel for director Robert Rodriguez’s cult favorite led to a rather interesting story. Asked about the efforts for that next chapter, Landau told CinemaBlend the following:
We’re a day closer, by definition. As recently as two weeks ago, Robert and I were having conversations about Alita. It’s something that we want to continue. I just told somebody a story that, first of all, thank you Alita Army! I went back to Los Angeles on a random trip, where I’d been in New Zealand for a couple of years. I open the Los Angeles Times, the first thing in there? There’s an ad from the Alita Army about doing the sequel. I couldn’t have timed it better. Did I send that to everybody at Disney? Absolutely, I did.
Picturing a bunch of Disney execs getting an email with Jon Landau's photo of this Alita: Battle Angel ad is something that's sure to bring a smile to the face of fans far and wide. If anyone in that position thought they could escape the buzz for continuing that trilogy, Landau has proven his high placed aid for the cause has made that just a bit more implausible.
For those who haven’t been following the Alita sequel push, back in September, the Alita Army took out that ad in the Los Angeles Times that Jon Landau had mentioned. Similar to campaigns to raise awareness through Alita: Battle Angel-themed billboards, art from Alita: Battle Angel’s original theatrical release was tweaked to carry this message loud and clear.
Landau’s not just talking a big game about supporting the Alita Army either. Throughout his social media presence, you can see his support of the fans is as strong as it was from day one. The latest evidence, of course, was his reaction to that message discussed above, which you can see for yourself:
If there’s a patron saint for the hypothetical sequel Alita: Fallen Angel, it has to be Saint Jon himself. Even without direct mention of the cinematic adaptation based on author/artist Yukito Kishiro’s work, Jon Landau has given hopeful updates that indicate the eagerness of returning to this particular world. And he’s not the only party looking to bring Doc Ido’s cyber girl into the limelight again. Earlier this year, Rosa Salazar proved to be just as determined to make an Alita sequel, with Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron also being mentioned as equally eager co-conspirators.
Pushing for the continuation of Alita: Battle Angel’s epic story isn’t an issue that’s going away anytime soon. Even if the fans were to lose hope completely, a scenario that truly pushes the definition of sci-fi, Jon Landau and his collaborators would more than likely still keep up the fight. If fans can wait over a decade for a slew of Avatar sequels, then you can bet their resolve is equal to, if not stronger to that faith when it applies to an Alita sequel.
Fingers crossed it doesn’t take that long to get the greenlight, as Avatar: The Way of Water’s intended success could boost those efforts with a massive win. The film opens in theaters as early as Thursday afternoon, so anyone looking to keep pushing for Alita's cause may want to help boost the numbers at the box office this weekend. As for those of you who want to revisit, or even introduce yourselves to the wonders of Alita: Battle Angel, that movie is available for streaming to those with a Hulu subscription.
