In an interview with Collider to promote his new Quibi project, the 63-year-old, who played Dr. Dyson Ido in Alita, delved into what he thought of the film’s passionate fanbase and whether he would be willing to return to the franchise. Here is what he said: Waltz then gave his opinion on why a follow-up to Alita has not yet been announced despite its popularity, attributing that to the change in ownership for the franchise. “You know, it was Fox and Fox doesn’t exist anymore. Now it’s Disney. Maybe it doesn’t fit into the Disneyfication, but I have no clue. I have no clue. Maybe they’re working on something and I wouldn’t be the first person to hear, but meanwhile, I haven’t heard anything.”, Waltz explained.
Now, I am one of those individuals who really enjoyed Alita: Battle Angel despite recognising that it had major narrative issues. I mean, altogether, it was a cool concept that had so much more potential to be developed within its neon cyberpunk landscape. Besides, the movie resolved with a greater threat looming over Iron City in Edward Norton’s Nova, as the cyborg raised her blade to Zalem, promising a showdown in the future. While Waltz’s comments cannot be taken as confirmation that the series is dead, Disney had indeed shut down several Fox projects in development following the great acquisition. Unlike James Cameron’s Avatar, Alita’s success was not particularly huge and that might not have been enough to convince studio executives to risk summoning a follow-up if it wasn’t going to spell success. Furthermore, does Alita’s darker tone fit into the vision of the studio? Disney has been known to produce family-friendly media. Robert Rodriguez’s film just isn’t that, toeing the line at being an R-rated film at times, the gnarly nastiness being forgiven because the action is executed on non-human entities. However, there certainly is an audience for Alita and they have gone to great lengths to profess their love for it. Moreover, the cast have expressed their interest at reprising their roles. If general interest in the film continues to be displayed publicly, would the studio be willing to invest in a sequel? I sure hope so, or this would have been the Battle Angel’s swan song.
