Originally published May 27, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
Last month, it was reported that several actresses had tested for the lead role in Alita: Battle Angel, James Cameron’s long-gestating adaptation of the manga series, and now Collider is reporting that Rosa Salazar (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials) has secured the title role.
Salazar was mentioned as a contender on the original shortlist, which also included Maika Monroe (It Follows), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Bella Thorne (The Duff). She will star as Alita, an amnesiac cyborg who is found in a junkyard by a cybermedic expert; discovering she possesses incredible martial arts skills, Alita decides to become a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals.
UPDATE: Entertainment Weekly has also confirmed Salazar’s casting.
Alita: Battle Angel is being directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn), with Cameron opting to hand over directorial duties to allow him to focus on his many Avatar sequels. As yet there’s no word on a possible release date, with studio 20th Century Fox said to be looking at ways to bring down the project budget from a current range of $175 – $200 million.
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