20th Century Fox has released a new trailer for the upcoming sci-fi film Alita: Battle Angel, and you’d be forgiven for assuming this was a new movie directed by James Cameron even though he’s only a producer on the movie. To be fair, Cameron almost directed this film over a decade ago, as he was weighing it against an original story called Avatar as his next project. We know, of course, that Cameron chose Avatar instead, but Alita: Battle Angel is finally coming to fruition with Cameron’s guidance and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) in the director’s chair.

Based on the graphic novel series Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro, the story takes place in the 26th century and revolves around an amnesiac female cyborg who is rescued from a scrapyard by a doctor, rebuilt, and then set on a path of hunting down vicious criminals. The visual effects are undoubtedly impressive, as showcased in this new trailer, but I’m still wondering who exactly this movie is for. It’s possible Fox is wondering the same thing, as the film was originally scheduled for release in July 2018, then they pushed it to Christmas, and most recently opted to release the film on Valentine’s Day of next year.

As I mentioned, this trailer does really play up Cameron’s influence on the whole thing, and it’s a more elegant trailer than the ones we’ve previously seen. But I’m still dubious there’s much of an audience for the Pinocchio story about an anime robot. Though maybe I’m wrong.

Check out the new trailer for Alita: Battle Angel below. The film stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Keean Johnson, and Ed Skrein. Alita: Battle Angel hits theaters on February 14, 2019.

Here’s the official synopsis for Alita: Battle Angel:

From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.

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Photo by Rico Torres/20th Century Fox

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