Why Fans Are Convinced Alita: Battle Angel 2 May Be In The Works

Is there more Alita on the way?

Speculation is running rampant that a secret sequel to the 2019 sci-fi flick Alita: Battle Angel is in the works after Australian actor Jai Courtney — who appeared in a cameo as Jashugan in the first film — posted a mysterious photo to his Instagram account. In it, Courtney is seen in a stark white room decked out in a full motion capture rig, his face covered in dots. The caption reads, "Trying out my new rollerblades," a possible reference to his Alita character's profession as a player of the fictional sport of Motorball.

Courtney's was one of several Alita cameos that seemed designed to set up a sequel, and the actor said around the time of the flick's release that this was indeed the case, and that the movie's director Robert Rodriguez told him that he would need someone he could count on to reprise the role of Jashugan in a second film "if this thing blows up" (via Business Insider). While Alita didn't exactly do that, it did pull down respectable box office receipts to the tune of $404 million worldwide. Any talk of a second installment was quickly complicated, however, by the closing of Disney's deal to acquire Alita's studio, the then-20th Century Fox, just months after the film opened.

Fans have never stopped clamoring for a sequel to Alita, though, and while Courtney's post has them freaking out, this may not have been his intention. It's worth noting that actor Joe Manganiello posted an extremely similar shot to his own Instagram — decked out in pretty much the exact same mo-cap rig, in what appears to be the very same room — at around the same time Courtney posted his. Manganiello did not appear in Alita, but he did pop up in a cameo as Deathstroke in Justice League, a role that is heavily rumored to be expanded when Zack Snyder's director's cut of that flick drops on HBO Max next year. Courtney portrayed Captain Boomerang in 2016's Suicide Squad, and will reprise the role in director James Gunn's upcoming soft reboot, so it could be that the pair are working on something related to the DC Extended Universe.

We weren't just whistling Dixie when we said that fans have been pining for a sequel to Alita. Back in December of last year, it was brought to the attention of one of the flick's producers, Jon Landau, that a Change.org petition imploring Disney and Rodriguez to saddle up for another installment had reached 120,000 signatures. Landau's suggestion to fans was simply to keep on asking to make sure Disney is aware that there's a significant market for Alita 2. "What I think the Alita Army should do is keep peppering our family, now at Disney and [let them know] how important it is to have another Alita movie," the producer said at the time. "Hopefully we'll venture there one day."

In the intervening months, that petition has racked up in excess of another 40,000 signatures, so those fans have apparently heeded Landau's advice. As to whether it will actually happen — or, indeed, is happening right now under our noses — there has been no official announcement. In a July 2019 interview with Slashfilm, however, at least one involved party expressed her desire to revisit Alita: star Rosa Salazar. "I would play Alita 'til my last breath," Salazar said. "I would, and thanks to the performance capture technology, I probably could." As it turned out, she also had some advice for fans as to how to to make Alita 2 happen: "Buy those Blu-rays."

We'll be keeping an eye out for any news or announcements regarding Alita 2, and we'll keep you up to speed.