Last month, news broke that the search had narrowed down to three candidates – including It Follows star Maika Monroe, Disney sensation Zendaya, and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials standout Rosa Salazar.
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Collider is reporting that Rosa Salazar has been chosen to headline Alita: Battle Angel, although it’s unclear if that will remain the title of the film. The 30-year old Maryland actress got her start with CollegeHumor short films, before segueing to television with American Horror Story: Murderhouse and Parenthood.
Battle Angel is a major coup for the rising Salazar, who is also no stranger to action-adventures.
Perhaps encouraged by Ghost in the Shell’s progress over at Paramount – allegations of whitewashing notwithstanding – Battle Angel Alita is now closer to entering production than ever before, though 20th Century Fox is reportedly keen to wrestle down the purported $175-$200 million production budget. “He’s very collaborative and we’re already like two kids building a go-kart, just having fun riffing creatively and technically”.
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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. “We’re looking forward to learning a lot from each other while we make a kick-ass epic”. With her innate fighting skills, Alita became a bounty hunter who was infamous for going after the deadliest criminals. “It’s an honor to explore the world of Alita along with Jim and Jon, whose films have impacted me for decades”.
