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Alita: Battle Angel Fandom Demanding A Sequel From Disney

You can't keep a good manga down, just look at Battle Angel Alita and the seemingly permanent spot it's occupied in bookstores and anime shops everywhere for over twenty years. The cult classic series finally got some mainstream attention in the form of 2019's Alita: Battle Angel courtesy of longtime fan James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez. The live-action adaptation stands as one of the first (or only, depending on who you ask) Hollywood adaptations of a beloved anime to earn the fanbase's respect, even though that didn't translate to an equally impressive box office performance.

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You can’t keep a good manga down, just look at Battle Angel Alita and the seemingly permanent spot it’s occupied in bookstores and anime shops everywhere for over twenty years. The cult classic series finally got some mainstream attention in the form of 2019’s Alita: Battle Angel courtesy of longtime fan James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez. The live-action adaptation stands as one of the first (or only, depending on who you ask) Hollywood adaptations of a beloved anime to earn the fanbase’s respect, even though that didn’t translate to an equally impressive box office performance.

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But that detail won’t be enough to snuff the passion of Battle Angel diehards, many of whom see Disney’s recent acquisition of the property as part of their purchase of 20th Century Fox as an opportunity to keep the franchise going. These fans have now taken to Twitter to campaign for a continuation to the 2019 film, tagging the Mouse House’s official account with requests for a sequel or prequel to adapt more of Yukito Kishiro’s original manga, or at least resolve the movie’s tease of a cliffhanger ending.

And let’s not forget the ongoing petition on Change.org for a sequel, which currently boasts over 155,000 signatures and counting.

Alita: Battle Angel released in January 2019, grossing a total of $85.7 million at the domestic box office and $319.1 million internationally against an estimated $170 million budget. Those domestic numbers aren’t great, but with recent reports of Disney expressing serious interest in doing more with the intellectual property – and some accounts even claiming a prequel show may be coming to Disney Plus somewhere down the line – these fans’ voices may have finally reached those in charge. Although the future of Alita: Battle Angel remains uncertain as of now, at least its fanbase is keeping its spirit alive and well.