There are teases, and then there are moments when people like James Cameron provide some of the best news out of nowhere. The Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer/director took a conversation about something as simple as selling the California ranch that inspired Pandora, and gave Alita: Battle Angel fans something to talk about. Apparently one of the reasons he and his wife are selling the ranch is because of some work travel that could finally see those Alita sequels coming to pass.
Now before I say anything else, I need you to read the exact quote that the Terminator mastermind gave to Forbes. In the passage where James Cameron mentions the reasons for why this dream home is going on the market, part of it is that he and his wife Suzy Amis Cameron don’t need the room with their kids out of the house. Then the man himself goes and drops the following bombshell:
And on Avatar, I’m working in Wellington and Los Angeles. And on the new Alita: Battle Angel films, I’ll be working in Austin, so it just didn’t make sense for us anymore.
“The new Alita: Battle Angel films.” So if this is a fair and accurate statement, there’s at least some sort of greenlight to develop further installments with director Robert Rodriguez. That only makes sense, as the From Dusk Till’ Dawn director lives and works out of Austin through his Troublemaker Studios company. Rodriguez also still has the Kansas bar setup intact, holding out hope for this very day for years.
It makes even more sense for Alita 2 and possibly Alita 3 to be worked on at the same time, as the series was originally planned as a trilogy. And much like with his creation of Avatar, James Cameron had 600 pages of notes laying out the whole structure. All that’s waiting is for Robert Rodriguez, or any other writer brought on to help out with the project, to flesh it out entirely.
Multiple parties have been hopeful for a sequel to the 2019 fan-favorite, with co-star Lana Condor being the latest to throw her hat in the ring. And then of course, there have been multiple statements of support from Rosa Salazar, Robert Rodriguez and producer Jon Landau, who offered a hopeful update earlier this year.
Alita: Battle Angel has had so many people rooting for its potential continuation, and now one of the most powerful forces in its corner may have just delivered the best news yet. Again, James Cameron’s comment above isn’t exactly a smoking gun, as the “work” on those projects hasn’t been given specific form. But if the man himself is stepping in to help out once again, surely that has to count towards the best sort of movement possible, right?
For now, the world still has Alita: Battle Angel to enjoy, as the film has just rejoined the streaming ecosystem through this month’s Hulu new releases. So if you haven't had the chance to partake in the movie that inspired the Alita Army of fans, you have another shot to do so with a convenient Hulu subscription.
