The idea of waking up one day with absolutely no memories sounds terrifying, but imagine having no recollection of what it even meant to be alive. What it would be like to experience every wonder of life for the first time—what would you do? Where would you go? Who would you love? But now try to imagine what that would feel like if you were also a cyborg living in a corrupt world where other cyborgs are hunting you down for reasons you don’t understand, and you have the premise for the incredible-looking new sci-fi movie Alita: Battle Angel.
Friday gave us the first trailer for the adaptation of the Japanese manga series Gunnm by Yukito Kishiro, set several hundred years in the future. It follows the story of an abandoned cyborg who is brought back to life by a “cyborg-doctor” (future jobs sound awesome!), but with a blank slate for who or what she is or was. And while she tries to make sense of it all while becoming acquainted with the “harsh world” where the powerful prey on the weak, something she must uncover from her past makes her a danger that leads other very powerful cyborgs to hunt her down. She might be someone “very special,” and based on this first teaser it would appear that has something to do with her amazing fighting skills.
The film, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, and has an all-star cast. Rosa Salazar stars as Alita, who stands out in part because she doesn’t look exactly like her fully human counterparts the way the machines of Ex Machina and the live-action Ghost in the Shell did. It also features Christoph Waltz as the cyborg-doctor, along with Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, and Keean Johnson.
You know, if you’re going to wake up with no memory of who you are and where you come from, you could do a lot worse than possibly being the world’s strongest cyborg.
Alita: Battle Angel hits theaters next summer, July 20, 2018
What do you think of this trailer? Have you read the manga series it’s based on? Be someone special and share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Want to Know More About Alita?
- Meet Rosa Salazar, its star.
- Learn more about Christoph Waltz’s casting.
- And finally, more details about Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron’s vision.
Images: 20th Century Fox
