Cameron Still Wants to Make Battle Angel Movie, Needs to Finish With Avatar First

[Logan Westbrook]

Cameron Still Wants to Make Battle Angel Movie, Needs to Finish With Avatar First

Avatar director, James Cameron, says that he loves Battle Angel Alita too much to hand the project to another director.

There's a lot of ways you might be familiar with Battle Angel Alita: There's the two part anime series, the videogame, and even the nine-volume comic that the character first appeared in. Eventually there will also be a live-action movie directed by James Cameron, although it looks like that might be years away from even getting started.

Battle Angel Alita is set in a 26th century dystopia, where most of the world's population lives in a wasteland, while a small elite live in an amazing city. The series tells the story of a female cyborg who is discovered on a junk pile by a cybernetic doctor.

The doctor repairs the physical damage, but he can't restore her lost memory. The doctor names her Alita, after his recently deceased cat, and adopts her as a daughter. Alita soon discovers that her amnesia doesn't extend to her knowledge of the punishing cyborg martial art, "Panzer Kunst." She harnesses her fighting skills, first to become a bounty hunter, and then a professional sportsperson.

Cameron said that he loved the Battle Angel story too much to turn his back on the project. He said that he would be rather busy for the next five years with the Avatar sequels, but was excited about making the movie. He described the Battle Angel world as "rich," and already had ideas on where the story would go. He planned to take the central story and then add story elements from the first two volumes of the comic. He also said that he wanted to include details like the brutal contact sport of Motorball from the third and fourth volumes.

The second Avatar movie is scheduled for release in 2014, with the sequel following a year later. Presumably, Cameron will start work on Battle Angel some time after that, which means the movie will likely hit theaters somewhere between 2018 and 2020.

Source: Collider [http://collider.com/battle-angel-james-cameron/73916/]


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[felixader]

Aaargh, i am not shure if that is good or bad.

I once read quite some mangas and only stopped it when i discovered that there are not many Mangas that have an so concluded completely written story that doesn't fare on an neverending, sooner or later pointless story that never comes to a close (Heeeelloooo Oh, my Goddess! How i hate that i collected 27 of your goddamn books.).

Battle Angel Alita is just one of the completest most whole and actually sensical experiences in the form of a manga rigth next to the Akira Books.
The Story even made me cry heavily!

I would appreciate if a good director would try to make a evenly whole movie out of it.
And then Cameron tries to get the PG13 or something rating..... wich brings me back to tzhe beginning of this Post.

Aaarrgh! (Well one can hope.)

 

[CitySquirrel]

The Alita OVA was one of the first anime I ever saw. Like felixader says, it made me cry a little. I also have the first 8 of the Gunnm manga. This having been said, I do not want to see this as a Hollywood film. The studios are too constrained and there will be too much desire to make it accessible to the widest markets. This can only make it less than it is worth. Just leave it alone unless you are going to do it properly.

 

[standokan]

I might have to try out Alita now, just like pretty much everyone who read this article probably.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

I'm convinced more than ever that James Cameron, competent director though he may be, is the wrong person to work on Battle Angel.

Despite its declining quality in recent years, Battle Angel Alita is still one of the best mangas around. Cameron is a greedy, power-hungry, franchise-driven profiteer.

 

[Katamake]

Hate to but but Battle Angel Alita is one of the never ending mangas as its still going as Last Order in Ultra jump I think. Unfortunatley going into the realm of tournaments as many good mangas have fallen to. I still find myself enjoying it though. Still manages to produce some insane characters.

 

[BreakfastMan]

OH NO YOU FRAKKING DON'T CAMERON!!! Battle Angel first! Your silly Avatar sequels can come later! And the movie better be R-rated! It wouldn't be Battle Angel without gobs of gore!

 

[Gasaraki]

I remember reading the original manga series, that shit was awesome!
It doesn't really seem like something that James Cameron would be suited for though...

 

[Popido]

I love how the main character development is done on this series. Games and anime/manga usually let their protagonist rise in power and just adds more bigger and meanier enemies until they finally reach Dragon Ball godhood.

GUNNM has this constant rollercoast where she gains and loses infinitly until some form of conclusion is reached....doesnt sound that great..Bah, its not power/material hungry! Thats what I wanted to say.

 

[felixader]

Hate to but but Battle Angel Alita is one of the never ending mangas as its still going as Last Order in Ultra jump I think. Unfortunatley going into the realm of tournaments as many good mangas have fallen to. I still find myself enjoying it though. Still manages to produce some insane characters.

I didn't know that. ;_;

I know of Last Order, but that's it rigth now.

So let me say it that way: the INITIAL 9 first Books are the most well written whole experience in manga, ever, rigth next to the Akira Books. ^_^

 

[felixader]

I love how the main character development is done on this series. Games and anime/manga usually let their protagonist rise in power and just adds more bigger and meanier enemies until they finally reach Dragon Ball godhood.

GUNNM has this constant rollercoast where she gains and loses infinitly until some form of conclusion is reached....doesnt sound that great..Bah, its not power/material hungry! Thats what I wanted to say.

God, i remember the beginning of the series! So much Character and Charm! All wasted.

The character development of the first 9 Alita books is awesome. I am shure that this was all that was suppossed to be created before the Moneyhunger came in.

However what i have been reading of Last Order was fine so far, but someone here mentioned that the Series is degrading into one of those endless Tournament Slops (althougth tournament stuff always has been big in Alita) so i am happy that i didn't continue to read it. X-P

 

[Falseprophet]

I know of Last Order, but that's it rigth now.

So let me say it that way: the INITIAL 9 first Books are the most well written whole experience in manga, ever, rigth next to the Akira Books. ^_^

Seconded. The original Alita/Gunnm series are still my favourite manga of all time. But I just couldn't get into Last Order.

I know it's unlikely, given his tyrannical control freak nature, but I wish Cameron would take an executive producer role for this project and hand the directorial reins to someone else, kind of like the Peter Jackson/Neil Blomkamp arrangement for District 9. One of my favourite Cameron films was Strange Days, which he wrote and produced, but was directed by his ex-wife (and Hurt Locker director) Kathryn Bigelow, and Alita could benefit from a similar treatment.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

I'm convinced more than ever that James Cameron, competent director though he may be, is the wrong person to work on Battle Angel.

Despite its declining quality in recent years, Battle Angel Alita is still one of the best mangas around. Cameron is a greedy, power-hungry, franchise-driven profiteer.

OR! James Cameron's movies are always wildly successful and will spawn a franchise with or without his involvement.

I do think Cameron's direction style is a bit too popcorny for Battle Angel though.

 

[batuea]

I hope its done in 2020 because that will fit awesomely well with my happy cyberpunk new years party for 2020, if you don't know what I mean, Google Cyberpunk 2020 one of the most hardcore firefight PnP RPG's, nothing like having the players guide tell you to roll up 3 characters, because you will probably go through them all in one session.

EDIT: also me and my group had to stop a session, go to a Comic Book store and buy a D30 for a SMG I was using, that f'ing corp bastard took 28 .50 AE rounds into his left leg. So you better believe it Chombatta

 

[Sutter Cane]

I'm convinced more than ever that James Cameron, competent director though he may be, is the wrong person to work on Battle Angel.

Despite its declining quality in recent years, Battle Angel Alita is still one of the best mangas around. Cameron is a greedy, power-hungry, franchise-driven profiteer.

Let's examine this more closely and look at Cameron's post piranha 2 filmography.
Terminator - now has 4 movies and a tv series, but Cameron only worked on the first 2
Aliens - 2nd movie in a pre existing franchise Cameron only works on 1 movie
The Abyss - no sequel
Terminator 2- See terminator entry
True Lies - No sequel
Titanic - No Sequel
Ghosts of the Abyss - documentary no sequel
Aliens of the deep - documentary no sequel
Avatar - 2 sequels planned

So yeah this totally paints the picture of someone who's only concerned with franchises and money. Especially the part in his career when he stopped directing big budget films for 10 years and decided to do documentaries

 

[Dublin Solo]

There's no way one can make a decent movie out of so much material.

Of course, that won't stop Cameron from trying, that's for sure.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Yes! Best news I've heard all week. Hopefully Cameron sticks to his guns and I'll still be around to see it

 

[Piflik]

I really hope he does that...as long as he casts Devon Aoki for the leading role...I kinda tried here [http://folio.piflik.de/images/05.jpg]...I failed, but still she would be the perfect choice...

 

[Palademon]

I'd rather see something interesting like that, than more Avatar films. I feel that even with fans the sequels will be far more like the Matrix trilogy than the original trilogy of Star Wars. However, the anime will probably be embarassed of the movie.

 

[Exploding Bob]

Aaargh, i am not shure if that is good or bad.

I once read quite some mangas and only stopped it when i discovered that there are not many Mangas that have an so concluded completely written story that doesn't fare on an neverending, sooner or later pointless story that never comes to a close (Heeeelloooo Oh, my Goddess! How i hate that i collected 27 of your goddamn books.).

Battle Angel Alita is just one of the completest most whole and actually sensical experiences in the form of a manga rigth next to the Akira Books.
The Story even made me cry heavily!

I would appreciate if a good director would try to make a evenly whole movie out of it.
And then Cameron tries to get the PG13 or something rating..... wich brings me back to tzhe beginning of this Post.

Aaarrgh! (Well one can hope.)

I hear you, Alite, Akira, Blame are my all time favs.
and Cameron, well, he´s not. I am more worried about this.

But Peter Jackson and David Lynch cannot make all the movies.