According to Collider, Rosa Salazar has beaten out Maika Monroe (Independence Day: Resurgence), Bella Thorne (Blended) and Zendaya Coleman (Spider-Man: Homecoming) for the lead role in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s popular Japanese manga series Battle Angel Alita (1990-1995).
Videos by ComicBook.com
The 20th Century Fox film, which is titled Alita: Battle Angel, will be produced by James Cameron (Titanic) and directed by Robert Rodriguez (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For). Cameron had planned to direct Alita: Battle Angel, but once Avatar became a box office hit, he focused on making sequels to the highest grossing film of all time and handed the directing reins over to Rodriguez.
In the manga series, which takes place in a futuristic dystopian world, cybermedic expert Daisuke Ido comes across the intact head and chest of a woman while sifting through the local dump. He’s able to revive her, but the female cyborg has lost most of her memories. Since she doesn’t even remember he name, Ido dubs her Alita after his deceased cat. One of the things Alita does recall is the legendary martial art: Panzer Kunst. She uses that skill to become a bounty hunter who tracks criminals. Along the way, she uncovers the dark secrets of her past.
Alita: Battle Angel will reportedly have a budget in the $175 million-$200 million range.
Salazar has been moving up the Hollywood food chain over the past couple years with key roles in The Divergent Series: Insurgent, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Man Seeking Woman. The 30-year-old actress will next be seen in Dax Shepard’s CHiPs, a feature film remake of the popular television series that ran from 1977-1983.
