‘Battle Angel Alita’ Casts Rosa Salazar to Play Battle Angel Alita

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.

Battle Angel oriniated as a manga series by Yukito Kishiro. If you haven’t read it, here’s a plot synopsis:

Set in the 26th century, Alita: Battle Angel tells the story of Alita, an amnesiac female cyborg who is rescued from a scrapyard by a doctor.  The rebuilt Alita, remembering only her training in a deadly martial art, becomes a hunter-warrior, tracking down and eliminating vicious criminals.  Within the context of an epic action-adventure, the film will explore a young woman’s journey of self-discovery and finding love.

Cameron has wanted to make a Battle Angel movie for a long time, but his schedule is full up with making 800 Avatar sequels (at last count; that number could go up by the time you read this). He’s still with the project as a producer but now Robert Rodriguez will direct the film in his place.

There’s no start date for the film yet, but The Hollywood Reporter says this will be a “$175 million-$200 million” production. In other words, the biggest movie of Rodriguez’s career, and a major role for Salazar.