Deadpool villain and former Game of Thrones actor Ed Skrein will play the villain in the upcoming live-action Battle Angel Alita film from director Robert Rodriguez. He'll join a cast that already includes Jackie Earle Haley, Christoph Waltz and Rosa Salazar, who plays the titular heroine. Skrein will play Zapan, a high-bounty criminal in possession of the Damascus blade. Along with Skrein, Haley is slated to play a second antagonist. Waltz is expected to play Doctor Dyson Ido, the cybernetic genius turned junkman who discovers Alita in a junkyard.
Filming is expected to begin this October in Austin, TX.
Alita: Battle Angel currently has a July 20, 2018 release date.
PLOT DESCRIPTION (per THR)
Set in the 26th century, Alita tells of a female cyborg (Salazar) that is discovered in a scrapyard by a scientist. With no memory of her previous life except her deadly martial-arts training, the woman becomes a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals. The action-adventure story is meant to serve as a backdrop to themes of self-discovery and the search for love.