Casting a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster can become a long, arduous process. Filmmakers need to take careful steps to ensure that they get the right performer for the right role, and that takes time. The upcoming adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel has notably take its sweet time in filling the film’s lead role, but the patience seems to have paid off. We’ve learned that Battle Angel has found its Alita, and she’s pretty damn perfect.
According to a recent report from Collider, it appears that the hunt for the lead actress in James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel has finally found its titular heroine in the form of actress Rosa Salazar. The production reportedly went through a long list of potential up-and-coming female actresses; of the three front-runners – It Follows’ Maika Monroe, K.C. Undercover’s Zendaya, and Rosa Salazar herself – it appears that Ms. Salazar finally won out.
Anyone who has kept up to date with the state of modern "young adult" book adaptations will instantly recognize Rosa Salazar from her recent stint as Brenda in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. She’s a relative newcomer to the action scene, but she has already proven that she has the acting chops to carry a strong dramatic scene, as well as the sheer physicality to throw herself into some pretty intense stunts. She hasn’t taken center stage in a stunt-heavy action film before, but Battle Angel could very well represent her chance to shine.
This news actually comes as somewhat of a surprise to us. Although Rosa Salazar’s name had been thrown around as one of the three in contention for the role, early rumors had suggested that Zendaya held frontrunner status for the part until just recently. It’s unclear if anything happened behind the scenes since we last reported on the film’s potential casting situation, but now we look forward to Battle Angel moving forward with a solid lead finally cast in the titular role.
Hollywood has really taken to the Japanese manga genre as a source of inspiration recently. Battle Angel is based upon Alita: Battle Angel, a Manga series following an advanced, amnesiac female cyborg that becomes bounty hunter to track and destroy deadly outlaws. Think of it as a cross between Ghost in the Shell and The Bourne Identity.
Rosa Salazar is a fine choice to lead the upcoming Battle Angel adaptation, and we very much look forward to seeing what she does with the role when the movie arrives on July 20, 2018. We will bring you more information regarding the upcoming sci-fi action thriller as it becomes available to us. Stay tuned for more details.
