Alita: Battle Angel took a little time to find its audience but became something of a sleeper hit and picked up some very dedicated fans. The stylish sci-fi action movie features some incredible fight scenes, cool VFX and Rosa Salazar’s Alita, who overcame criticism of her uncanny valley appearance to deliver a convincing performance.
Unfortunately, though, the franchise’s future remains in limbo as the film didn’t do well enough to get a sequel immediately greenlit. This is especially frustrating as Alita: Battle Angel ends on a cliffhanger with the story half-told. However, fans have launched a #ReleasetheSnyderCut style campaign, dubbing themselves Alita’s Army and are hoping to convince new IP owners Disney that her story is worth finishing.
Their most high-profile act to date saw them hire a plane to fly over the Academy Awards trailing a banner that read: #AlitaArmy #AlitaSequel. In addition, producer Jon Landau (who recently posted some cool pics from the Avatar 2 set) has encouraged the fanbase to keep Alita in the public eye on social media, proving to Disney that there’s an audience out there for it.
Now, he’s given what might be an indication that this campaign will bear fruit, as he posted a picture on Instagram of him wearing a T-shirt featuring Alita and the words “Wash Your Hands. I Want A Sequel.”
“Here’s to The Alita Army and all of the fans of Alita: Battle Angel. Hope you are staying healthy and safe,” he captioned it.
There’s an outside chance that this could be a subtle hint that talks are progressing on the project, which may end up being a TV show rather than a movie. One aspect that might make an Alita sequel more likely at the moment is that studios are hungry for new projects due to COVID-19. As the Alita films are so CGI-heavy, it could be possible to create one with minimal need for a live-action shoot. Helping that out is that many of the CGI assets used in the first movie can be recycled or modified for a new one. And, ya know, producer James Cameron has some serious clout.
A week ago, I would probably have written off the fan campaign for an Alita: Battle Angel sequel as wishful thinking, but the Snyder Cut announcement may be an indication that studios are now prepared to give fans what they want. So, watch this space for more.