Alita: Battle Angel

Mahershala Ali might have caught the villain bug. Currently he plays Cottonmouth, the powerful and terrifying bad guy featured in the first season of Netflix and Marvel’s Luke Cage, and soon he might appear as another villain type in James Cameron’s live-action adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel.

Before you get all worried about the Predator part of that headline, rest assured that it’s good news: Fox has actually moved Shane Black’s sequel up by almost an entire month, putting it in early February 2018, likely hoping to replicate the success of similar R-rated fare like Kingsman and Deadpool. The studio has also announced new release dates for two untitled Marvel projects and Robert Rodriguez’s Alita Battle Angel, as well as the spy thriller Red Sparrow.

A big bit of casting new for you before your holiday weekend: Collider reports that James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez have found their star for their big-budget, live-action movie version of Battle Angel Alita. It’s Rosa Salazar from The Maze Runner franchise (and the upcoming movie version of CHiPs). Salazar beat out finalists Maika Monroe (Independence Day: Resurgence) and Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming) for the role.

James Cameron originally intended to direct Alita: Battle Angel himself, but a few years and plans for four more Avatar sequels later, and the director is just a bit too busy to helm the manga adaptation himself. As announced last year, Robert Rodriguez will now direct the project with Cameron executive producing, and it looks like things are picking up as a few talented young women are being eyed for the leading role.

The Terminator. Titanic. Avatar. From Dusk Till Dawn. Desperado. Sin City. James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez have directed some of the signature movies of the last 25 years and become miniature filmmaking industries unto themselves...