The trailer is out for Alita: Battle Angel.  Here’s your first look at it.

“Does it bother you that I’m not completely human?”

Alita: Battle Angel is directed by Robert Rodriguez, who also directed the Spy Kids films, From Dusk Till Dawn, Horror Planet, and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.  The science fiction/adventure film is based on the manga of the same name by Yukito Kishiro (also called Gunnm). The script is by James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez and Laeta Kalogridis.  This movie is based on the first four manga books in the series, and if it does well at the box office, producer James Cameron hopes to make two more Battle Angel films.

Who or what is Alita?

Rosa Salazar stars asthe cyborg Alita in “Alita: Battle Angel” 

The cast of Alita: Battle  Angel are science fiction regulars.

  • Rosa Salazar stars as the cyborg Alita.  Ms. Salazar played Nurse Maria in American Horror Story: Murder House, Lynn in  Insurgent, and Brenda in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. 
  • The movie co-stars Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz as Dr. Ido.  He played Qohen Leth in The Zero Theorem, Blofeld in Spectre, Benjamin Chudnofsky in The Green Hornet, and Captain Rom in The Legend of Tarzan. 
  • Jennifer Connelly, who is no stranger to SCIFI.radio listeners, appears in the film as Chiren.  Ms. Connelly was Sarah in Labyrinth, Jenny Blake in The Rocketeer, Emma Murdoch in Dark City, Betty Ross in The Hulk,  Dr. Helen Benson in the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, and the voice of Karen (Suit Lady) in Spider-Man: Homecoming. 
  •  Mahershala Ali plays Vector.  He also played Jim Johnson in Hidden Figures, Richard Tyler in The 4400, Mombasa in Predators, Boggs in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (parts 1 and 2), and Cottonmouth Stokes in Luke Cage.
  • Eiza González plays Nyssiana.  She was Sheila “Jetta” Burns in Jem and the Holograms and Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk till Dawn: The Series.
  • Ed Skrein will be Zapan.  He was Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones and Ajax in Deadpool.
  • Former child star Jackie Earle Haley is also in the movie, although the name of his part has not been revealed yet.  In addition to being Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears movies, he was Bill in Damnation Alley, Gill Waterman in Gravedale High, Rorschach in Watchmen, Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Willie Loomis in Dark Shadows, Sayre in The Dark Tower, Odin Qunicannon in Preacher, and The Terror in The Tick.
Rosa Salazar stars in "Alita: Battle Angel."

Is Alita subhuman, inhuman, or superhuman? {image via 20th Century Fox}

It’s also a racially diverse cast.  Hollywood has a tendency to default to white when casting actors.  Even science fiction films are more likely to show green and blue rather than brown or black.

In the original manga 1990 manga Gunnm (?? Ganmu, literally “gun dream”), the lead character is named Gally, not Alita, though that name change happened when the English translation of the manga was published in the U.S. There was an anime version of it called Battle Angel: OVA, released in 1993, but only two episodes were made, and there are no plans to revive it.

James Cameron’s Alita: Battle Angel is scheduled for release July 20, 2018, the 49th anniversary of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, the 42nd anniversary of Viking I landing on Mars, and coindidentally, the 27th wedding anniversary of SCIFI.radio listeners Kate and Barney Evans.

-30-

 

 

Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress ”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.