Battle Angel 2 Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Update From Original Star

With the creative team behind the original movie confirming talks are still ongoing, Jeff Fahey has an optimistic update for Alita: Battle Angel 2. Fahey starred in the 2019 adaptation of the manga of the same name as McTeague, a Hunter-Warrior who appears in a single scene in which he aids Rosa Diaz’s eponymous heroine against the criminal cyborg Grewishka. Though the movie was only seen as a modest box office and critical success, director Robert Rodriguez and co-writer/producer James Cameron have remained devoted to making a sequel happen, with fans of the movie similarly campaigning for a follow-up.

During a recent interview with Screen Rant for the action-thriller Due Justice, Fahey was asked his thoughts on a potential Alita: Battle Angel 2. The actor confirmed his interest to return for the sci-fi sequel, teasing he’s even set to reunite with Rodriguez for an unnamed upcoming project in Summer 2024. Check out what Fahey shared below:

I like working with Robert Rodriguez. I think we’ve worked together now seven times. And we’ll be working together again, hopefully in the summer. Fingers crossed that we’re going into Alita: Battle Angel 2.

Why Fahey’s McTeague Should Return For Alita 2

Fahey’s turn as McTeague in the first Alita: Battle Angel marked the fourth collaboration between the actor and Robert Rodriguez. The duo first teamed for Rodriguez’s half of his and Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse duology, Planet Terror, continuing on with the 2010 movie adaptation of Machete as well as the TV show adaptation of Rodriguez and Tarantino’s cult classic action-horror movie From Dusk Till Dawn. They have since teamed up again for the Ben Affleck-led sci-fi thriller Hypnotic, which finally hit theaters in mid 2023 after a lengthy search for a new distributor.

Though McTeague may have played a small part in the original movie, his return in the potential Alita: Battle Angel 2 would be a worthwhile way to expand on the character’s story and motivations. Given the movie only briefly explored the titular character’s status as a Hunter-Warrior, Fahey’s character could not only offer a deeper fleshing out of the bounty hunter world, but could also bring the story closer to the Alita manga, particularly in exploring the unique dynamic between him and Lana Condor’s Koyomi.

Fahey’s return in the potential Alita: Battle Angel 2 would also be a nice way to pay tribute to Rodriguez’s long-time fans by bringing back a familiar frequent collaborator from his past projects. It could even open the door for other past collaborators of the director to appear in the sci-fi sequel, namely Danny Trejo or Antonio Banderas, who have teamed with Rodriguez on 10 and seven projects, respectively, namely that of the Spy Kids and Mariachi franchises. While it’s unclear whether Fahey’s tease of teaming with Rodriguez in 2024 will be for the Alita sequel or another project, the recent success of Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar: The Way of Water has sparked speculation the former could finally begin production sooner than later.

Alita: Battle Angel

Release Date: 2019-02-14

Director: Array

Cast: Array

Rating: pg-13

Runtime: 122minutes

Genres: Array

Writers: Array

Summary: Produced by James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, Alita: Battle Angel adapts the manga Gunnm to live-action, featuring Rosa Salazar as the titular cyborg who goes on a quest to rebuild her identity as she faces the dark forces that plague Iron City. With the help of Christoph Waltz’ Dr. Ido and Keean Johnson’s Hugo, Alita learns to play the futuristic game of Motorball, which could be her ticket to enter the floating city of Zalem. Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems in the year 2563.

Budget: $170 million

Studio(s): Array

Distributor(s): Array