Robert Rodriguez to Direct ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ for Fox, Producer James Cameron
The live-action film is based on the Japanese manga and graphic novel series by Yukito Kishiro.
Twentieth Century Fox today announced that James Cameron and Jon Landau would produce ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, with Robert Rodriguez in negotiations to direct the live action adaptation of the famed Japanese manga and graphic novel series Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro.
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. It's an epic action-adventure, that will explore a young woman’s journey of self-discovery and finding love.
Cameron: “Robert and I have been looking for a film to do together for years, so I was pumped when he said he wanted to do Battle Angel. He’s very collaborative and we’re already like two kids building a go-kart, just having fun creatively and technically. This project is near and dear to me, and there’s nobody I trust more than Robert, with his technical virtuosity and rebel style, to take over the directing. We’re looking forward to learning a lot from each other while we make a kick-ass epic.”
Rodriguez: “Battle Angel is an incredibly rich and vibrant epic in the tradition of Jim Cameron’s spectacular, character-driven films. Getting to work from Jim’s terrific and visionary script while learning the cutting edge techniques he’s pioneered is a master class in filmmaking. It’s an honor to explore the world of Alita along with Jim and Jon, whose films have impacted me for decades.”
Robert Rodriguez has directed such successful and groundbreaking films as the Mexico Trilogy (El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), From Dusk till Dawn, Sin City and Spy Kids films.
Cameron and Landau, who will produce for Fox under their Lightstorm Entertainment banner, are also currently in pre-production on three sequels to their history-making Avatar.