Jon Landau, producer of last year’s sci-fi blockbuster Alita: Battle Angel, recently took a jab at his own fanbase. In an Instagram post – seen below – the filmmaker wore a special T-shirt whose design implied that, if his followers helped check the spread of the coronavirus by washing their hands, he would reward them with the sequel they’ve begged for all this time.
Although Landau probably meant for the post to be understood as a joke instead of a genuine promise, there’s a solid chance that Alita’s story will eventually get a part two. Indeed, not only is the film incredibly open-ended, but its production – which was originally supposed to be headed by Avatar creator James Cameron – also ended up doubling its original $170 million investment.
Based on a Japanese manga of the same name, Alita: Battle Angel tells the story of a deadly warrior machine that doubles as a sentient teenage girl. When her broken remains are discarded from a floating metropolis in the sky, a surface-dwelling inventor (played by Cristoph Waltz) brings her back to life. Though he’s determined to raise her as his own daughter, he can neither disconnect her from her own violent past, nor hide her from his own.
Although the film’s artistic merit (not to mention its revenue) would have surely been way higher had Cameron stayed put in the director’s chair, Alita is still a pretty decent high-concept action adventure movie. The story, while a little uninspired, rarely lags, and when it does, the stellar CGI and world design never fails to bring it back on track.
Despite a few questionable design choices – notably the main character’s uncannily large anime eyes – Alita: Battle Angel remains one of the best original tentpoles to have come out in recent years, easily winning out over colossal flops like Mortal Engines and even Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. So, as far as sequels go, we’re in.