If you're a fan of Fox's "Alita: Battle Angel," you know it wasn't supposed to be a one-off film.

Based on the popular manga series, "Gunnm," producer James Cameron worked on a vision for the film for years.

During a press day at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California, Insider asked the VFX team for "Battle Angel" if they have heard any update on a potential sequel.

"If you want to go talk to Disney, you're welcome," said VFX supervisor for Lightstorm Entertainment Richard Baneham.

Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019.

The VFX team added they "all want to do another one." There's plenty of story to explore.

Bottom line: If you want to see a sequel to "Alita: Battle Angel," let Disney know.

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Fox's February 2019 release "Alita: Battle Angel" set itself up for a series of films. But it's one fans may never get to see.

Initially, VFX supervisor for Lightstorm Entertainment Richard Baneham laughed when Insider asked whether or not they have heard anything about a sequel for the film.

"We'll say what we did to the last person who said that to us. Please go tell them on the lot to go ..." visual effects supervisor Richard Hollander told Insider.

Hollander trailed off as the team laughed while pointing outside to the Walt Disney Studios lot, where our interview was taking place.

Essentially, any sequels for 'Alita: Battle Angel' are now in Disney's hands

"Alita: Battle Angel" was released in February 2019. It was pushed back from a former December 2018 release. 20th Century Fox

In March 2019, Disney closed a deal to purchase 20th Century Fox for $71 billion. "Alita" is officially a Disney property under the 20th Century Fox label.



"If you want to go talk to Disney, you're welcome," added Baneham before becoming more serious. "The truth is, there is a very rich world of material to be tapped into. I think it's just a matter of studio choices and whether or not it's the right property to be able to evolve."

'Alita' did well with international audiences, and its basic premise is similar to 'Captain Marvel'

Based on the manga "Gunnm," "Alita," was first announced in 2003 with James Cameron working on an adaptation. It was delayed a few times because of Cameron's work on "Avatar," which went on to become the highest-grossing movie after its 2009 release.

The film, which had a reported $170 million budget, was finally released in February 2019 from director Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City," "Machete") with Cameron still attached as a producer. "Alita" wasn't a huge hit domestically, but it did find an audience overseas, making $319.1 million of its $404 million worldwide gross internationally.

The basic premise of the movie isn't too dissimilar from one of Disney's biggest releases of 2019, "Captain Marvel." Both films show a young woman (a cyborg in Alita's case) who can't remember their past. When they both regain their memories, they realize the true potential of their abilities that they weren't able to access beforehand.

"Captain Marvel," released one month after "Alita," wound up grossing more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

"Alita: Battle Angel" and "Captain Marvel" both feature two powerful, inspirational female heroes. 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios

If you're a fan of "Captain Marvel," you're likely to be a fan of "Alita: Battle Angel."

Fans are starting petitions to get more 'Alita' movies

When asked if the group had anything to say to fans holding out hope for a sequel, the film's visual effects supervisor Eric Saindon mentioned he's on a few of the fan sites and groups.

"I just watch, and it's pretty amazing, the fanbase that's out there for it," said Saindon. "The petitions they're doing and all these things. They really love the film and want to see it, see more of this world."

A sequel petition on Change.org has over 134,000 signatures as of the publishing of this article. In December, producer Jon Landau told CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell fans should "keep peppering our family now at Disney" to let them know they want a sequel.

Here's a screenshot of the petition on Change.org for an "Alita: Battle Angel" sequel. Change.org

"[Creator Yukito] Kishiro has such a crazy world out there," said Saindon. "I mean, these books, they go on and on, and there's so much information. It's such a creative world. It'd be great to see some more of this brought to the mainstream, really, right?"

There's a lot more plot to work with if Disney does decide to make a sequel

Though giving us a complete narrative arc for its protagonist, Alita, much of the first film is really a setup for a larger story.

"Battle Angel" merely introduces us to Edward Norton's non-speaking role in order to explore his mysterious Nova character in more depth in a sequel. Jai Courtney told our sister site Business Insider his small cameo in the film would have been explored more in a second film.

Edward Norton's character is briefly shown in "Alita: Battle Angel." 20th Century Fox

The VFX team discussed how much more there is to explore in potential future movies.



"In contrast to some other films, it's such a rich character journey for Alita," said Hollander. "I think that was something that was really special about the film, how much it drills into what she's going through and what she's feeling and her experience of, I mean, you're walking through that world in her shoes. I just love that perspective from a storytelling point of view."

Alita ends her journey in "Battle Angel" knowing who she is and motivated to finish a war she fought in years prior. 20th Century Fox



"It's a nice setup. I like the way it worked as a setup, and everybody, of course, we all want to do another one, but we'll see," said Hollander.

After our conversation ended, the VFX team added that they felt the film wasn't marketed enough or in the right way domestically. Instead, the film has slowly been finding an audience since its home release in July and they continuously hear from fans who are only now discovering the movie and enjoy it.

Maybe after some work on the "Avatar" films is finished, Cameron will consider returning to the world. Ultimately, it's up to Disney to decide if it moves forward with any potential sequels.