Alita Producer Teases Development on Sequel (Exclusive)

Thanks to a sizable box office haul prior to the pandemic, Alita: Battle Angel has become a cult classic, amassing a massive following in the three years since its theatrical release. As such, there have always been plans for the Alita world to grow through a series of sequels; sequels that may now get off the ground given the 20th Century Fox and Disney merger is well complete. In fact, Alita producer Jon Landau tells ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis he and Robert Rodriguez just discussed plans for a follow-up a matter of weeks ago.

“Robert [Rodriguez] and I had a conversation about it two weeks ago. We’re very excited about that prospect,” Landau says. “Alita is is a movie that even now having recently like re-watched it for what we had, we’re really proud of that movie. And we think that there are more stories to tell with her character and that’s why we want to go back to it.”

Like the #SaveDaredevil and Release the Snyder Cut movements, the Alita Army has become an organized effort in an attempt to lobby film executives into greenlighting future sequels.

“Alita Army! Way to go keep it up. I got, I tell you a funny story,” the producer adds. “I went back to Los Angeles. I’ve been in New Zealand for quite some time and I went back to Los Angeles over the summer and the day I was there, the first day back, I opened the Los Angeles Times and there’s an ad from the Alita Army in color and I was like, ‘There you go! Thank you. Keep it up!’”

In total, Alita grossed $405 million worldwide for 20th Century Fox in 2019. Though development on the sequels stalled because of the studio merger, Alita helmer Robert Rodriguez has always been optimistic Disney executives would opt to continue the franchise.

“I think anything is possible,” Rodriguez told Forbes during a 2020 interview. “Disney bought Fox, and they have Disney+, so that is worth the conversation. I know other people would love to see another, and I would love to do another one. As far as where it would go or how it would be made, I think streaming has opened up many opportunities such as sequels. It’s already a pre-sold concept, it’s already got a built-in audience that wants to see it, and then it’s delivered to them in a way that’s the easiest for them to consume. So, it’s not a bad idea.”