Jai Courtney Shoots Down A Huge Alita: Battle Angel Sequel Rumor

Alita: Battle Angel poster

It was an Instagram post that launched 1,000 fan theories. Alita: Battle Angel co-star Jai Courtney took to Instagram a few months back and posted a photograph of himself in a full motion-capture suit. That would be strange enough, but it was the message shared by Courtney that got Alita fans fired up. He wrote, “Testing my new pair of rollerblades.” It had to mean that he was working on mo-cap for another go in the world of Alita: Battle Angel… right?

Not exactly. We were able to speak to Jai Courtney recently about his upcoming Liam Neeson thriller The Honest Thief, but the topic of his mo-cap tease came up. When asked to clarify if this was a message of hope to the Alita Army, Courtney confessed:

I can tell you this, it wasn’t for Alita: Battle Angel. So, sorry CinemaBlend audience. It was another thing. I actually got the chance to go do an episode of Love Death + Robots on Netflix. Some good friends of mine were involved in making it… It’s this Tim Miller/David Fincher creation, and it was a chance to get off the couch during quarantine and do something completely different.

Well, that sucks. Not for the creators of Love Death + Robots. That sci-fi animation anthology series on Netflix got some work out of Jai Courtney during a pandemic. But it is a knock to the hopes and dreams of the fans who saw the following Instagram post and thought that the wheels were starting to turn on an Alita: Battle Angel sequel.

A photo posted by on

Where does all of this Alita: Battle Angel sequel talk come from? Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of the classic Manga sci-fi thriller has built up quite a loyal fanbase since opening in theaters in 2019. The film earned $404 million in worldwide ticket sales, but talks at the studio level with regard to a follow up film have been sparse.

That hasn’t stopped online social media warriors dubbed the Alita Army from openly campaigning on behalf of the franchise, often hosting trending events meant to show the studio how much this fanbase wants to see the continuation of their hero’s story. It helps that Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel literally ends on a cliffhanger-tease of where the story should be going. So you have to wonder what is holding things up.

The movement to secure an Alita: Battle Angel sequel has gained momentum this year, with the group notching a serious win in theater chains agreeing to bring the film back to screens following the fanbase’s vocal demands. But this confirmation from Jai Courtney means that no fresh work is taking place on the sequel (as far as he knows), so it will be up to the Alita Army to maintain pressure and keep spreading awareness for their worthy cause.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.