Rosa Salazar Will Reportedly Star in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL For James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez

Last year, James Cameron hired Robert Rodriguez to take over directing duties on Cameron's long-gestating live-action film adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel. He's been wanting to make this movie for over a decade (I remember when it was supposed to be his follow-up to Titanic), but because he's gotten so wrapped up in his Avatar sequels and returning to the world of Pandora, he knew there was no way it was ever going to see the light of day if he waited any longer. Last we heard, three actresses were up for the lead role, and now Collider reports that Rosa Salazar (The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials) has locked it down.

Set in the 26th century, 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."

I haven't seen Salazar in any of her big-budget movies (Maze Runner, Insurgent), but she was terrific on last season of the underrated FXX comedy Man Seeking Woman, so I'm looking forward to seeing her embrace the role of an iconic, kick-ass action heroine here (assuming this report is accurate, of course).