A proper adaptation of Battle Angel Alita, the popular Japanese manga, has been on the docket for quite some time now, and for most of that time, the man in charge of the whole mishigas was to be James Cameron. He still is the man at the head of the proposed film adaptation, but he's now he's set as producer and is no longer the filmmaker who will direct the movie. Instead, that pleasure will go to Robert Rodriguez, and lately, the filmmakers have been looking for just the right woman to step into the titular role. Plenty of names have been rumored - I've heard everyone from Kumiko the Treasure Hunter's Rinko Kikuchi to Divergent's Shailene Woodley in the build-up - but now we seem to have a solid trio of candidates, and even a possible fourth.

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Image via Picturehouse

THR is reporting today that the shortlist for Alita: Battle Angel now includes Disney sensation Zendaya, who is also currently cast in a mysterious role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Maika Monroe, who broke out in indie horror gems The Guest and It Follows and will next be seen in Independence Day: Resurgence. The two young, talented woman will also be vying for the role against Rosa Salazar, who made quite the impression in last year's The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, while there are reports that Bella Thorne also read for the part at some point over the last few months.


My vote would be for Salazar, if only because I'd like to see her get a bigger stage to work with her apparent talents. Monroe has the more admirable filmography, having worked with the intensely gifted Adam Wingard on The Guest, but she's got a pretty full plate of work ahead of her in the coming years whether she gets this role or not, and the same goes for both Thorne and Zendaya. Regardless, I'm sure any of these women would do well under Rodriguez and Cameron's guidance, and we'll likely have a name secured by the end of May, unless things go off course again. And considering this project's track record, that's not, ya know, out of the realm of possibilities.

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Image via 20th Century Fox