‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’ release date, plot rumors: Why the franchise could continue as a TV series

The truth is there is not much indication right now that Disney is inclined to greenlight the production of “Alita: Battle Angel 2.” However, there are other ways that the story of Alita (Rosa Salazar) could continue even when it is not on the big screen.

‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’ plot

To those who do not know, the movie is based on the Japanese manga series “Gunnm” by Yukito Kishiro that was published in the 1990s. Overall, it had nine volumes and the first live-adaptation film used the first two as its material.

The adaptation was not a hundred percent faithful to all the pages of the manga. But it did not stray away too much from the original manga series making it still possible for “Alita: Battle Angel 2” to use materials from the latter volumes.

With that said, two volumes of manga squeezed into a two-hour film are too much material. It then makes the case for “Alita: Battle Angel 2” being a TV series instead of a movie. Thanks to the launch of Disney+ last year, this is not that much of a long shot.

ScreenRant suggested that “Alita: Battle Angel 2” joining the Disney+ library of studio-original TV shows could help producer James Cameron to flesh out the story to six 1-hour episodes. This way, it would not sacrifice the manga materials to adhere to the limited time that a movie release offers.

There might be some major changes in the cast, though, if “Alita: Battle Angel 2” actually becomes a TV series. Edward Norton, who appeared as Nova in the first movie, does not have a substantial TV filmography other than a very few appearances in shows like “Stella” in 2005 and “Modern Family” in 2009.

On the other hand, there is a better shot at having Salazar reprise her titular role if “Alita: Battle Angel 2” ends up in Disney+ as a TV series. She starred in several TV shows such as “American Horror Story: Murder House,” NBC’s “Parenthood,” and Amazon Prime Video’s “Undone.”

‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’ release date

With Disney still silent about its plans for “Alita: Battle Angel 2” it is really difficult to estimate even a release date window. However, if the studio surprises fans with an announcement this year, they will still have to be patient and wait for its premiere. Since the first movie used heavy CGI, it is likely going to be the same approach for the sequel. This could mean the next movie might not arrive for three to four years from the time of its confirmation.