Robert Rodriguez's ‘Alita: Battle Angel,’ Produced By James Cameron, Zeroing In On Female Lead

While we only found out recently that James Cameron was going to be spending the foreseeable future working on four “Avatar” sequels, he knew enough last fall to pass the reins of the long developing “Alita: Battle Angel” to Robert Rodriguez. And things are starting to come together now, as the shortlist for the female lead role has been revealed.

Maika Monroe (“It Follows,” “Independence Day: Resurgence“), Rosa Salazar (“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” “CHiPs“), Zendaya (“K.C. Undercover,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming“) and Bella Thorne (“Shake It Up,” “Scream: The TV Series,” “The Duff“) have all tested for the lead role. Reportedly, Zendaya might be the frontrunner, but her TV schedule may be a stumbling block to landing the role of a female cyborg, who is rescued from a scrapyard, and trained to become a warrior.

20th Century Fox hasn’t greenlit the movie just yet, as they are trying to bring the budget down, which currently sits between $175-200 million, and I can’t say I blame them. In terms of blockbuster tentpoles, this is arguably on the riskier side of the spectrum, especially without an A-list star, and given it doesn’t have brand recognition outside of those who already know the source material.

Thoughts? Do you have a preference on who should play the lead? Let us know below. [THR]

Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.