For a long time, James Cameron has been talking about making Alita: Battle Angel (or Battle Angel: Alita as it used to be called) but various other projects have gotten in the way. When he decided to concentrate on the world of Avatar, he gave up in directing Alita himself and passed the reins to Robert Rodriguez.

The first trailer for the movie has now arrived, which takes us into the uncanny valley with a title character who looks like she’s trapped in a Snapchat big-eye filter. It’s a bif eerie initially, but certainly memorable, and certainly helps tie it to its manga inspiration.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) create a groundbreaking new heroine in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an action-packed story of hope, love and empowerment. Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. Everything is new to Alita, every experience a first. As she learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield Alita from her mysterious past while her street-smart new friend, Hugo (Keean Johnson), offers instead to help trigger her memories. A growing affection develops between the two until deadly forces come after Alita and threaten her newfound relationships. It is then that Alita discovers she has extraordinary fighting abilities that could be used to save the friends and family she’s grown to love. Determined to uncover the truth behind her origin, Alita sets out on a journey that will lead her to take on the injustices of this dark, corrupt world, and discover that one young woman can change the world in which she lives.’

Take a look at the trailer below. The film is due in cinemas July 2018. [Read more…]