Rosa Salazar Gives Hopeful Update on the Long-Awaited ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL Sequel
It’s been five years since Alita: Battle Angel first hit theaters, but the fight to bring the cybernetic hero back to the big screen is far from over.
Fans have never stopped rallying for a sequel, and now Rosa Salazar herself is reigniting that hope with some exciting words about Alita 2.
During her appearance on Collider Ladies Night with Perri Nemiroff, Salazar made it clear she’s just as eager as fans are to return to Iron City.
“I’m always bringing up Alita,” Salazar admitted with a laugh, before teasing the possibility we’ve all been waiting for: “It still might [happen].”
Salazar added that the future of the franchise may still rest in the hands of James Cameron, who co-produced the first film with Robert Rodriguez.
“He’s got the set. We’ll have [James] Cameron just as soon as this next Avatar…” she joked.
Salazar’s excitement mirrors the energy of the fans who have never stopped campaigning for a sequel. When Nemiroff mentioned wanting to see more installments, Salazar responded, “Me either. I’m like, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ I’m one of those. I’m all the bots online doing that.”
For Salazar, the love for Alita runs deep, rooted in the joy of working with some of the most visionary filmmakers in the business.
“It’s the best. I mean, it’s just the best. You have James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, who are friends, who are making this thing together. All the love is there. You have an amazing script. You have an amazing graphics team like Wētā… You have thousands of people working on this thing, and it all comes down to this moment between two… It’s just so amazing. I love a collaborative process, and to be able to do it on that scale?”
Before Alita: Battle Angel, Salazar had appeared in big franchises like The Maze Runner and Insurgent, but stepping into the lead role of a major studio film was a whole new challenge.
“Validating for about three seconds, and then you’re like, ‘I’m so nervous,’” she said.
Still, she knew from the very beginning that she was meant to play Alita.
“From the first moment I read the script, I’m like, ‘I can do this. I can bring this home for you.’ … I think it was just that last final audition with Robert, where I had the time and the space and the attention to really say, like, ‘This is who I think she is.’
“And I think he said, ‘Okay. She has a clear vision of who this person is, and it jives with mine.’ So from that moment on, it was smooth sailing.”
Her dedication didn’t stop there. Salazar revealed she even wrote her own treatment for Alita 2 and sent it directly to Cameron.
“I wrote this treatment for Alita 2 right after the film, and I sent it to James Cameron. He was like, ‘This is so cool!’ Like, he’s James Cameron. It probably won’t be the one that we shoot, but I’m such an avid fan of those books that I just I couldn’t help myself.”
Salazar believes the heart of the Alita movement lies with the fans, whose loyalty continues to surprise her.
“All the Alita Army fans came to see my play at Pasadena Playhouse. I did Cyrano de Bergerac, a very antiquated play, and these people showed up. So, I think they’re still rooting for it. They’re still rooting for me. I haven’t counted anything out yet.”
It’s clear that Salazar’s passion for the world of Alita hasn’t faded one bit, and with Cameron still keeping the door open, the dream of a sequel feels more alive than ever.
Stay tuned for more updates on the potential return of Alita: Battle Angel.