According to actor Christoph Waltz, an Alita: Battle Angel sequel is still up in the air due to the Disney/Fox merger.
In a recent interview with Collider, Waltz was asked whether he would be interested in an Alita sequel. Waltz, who played scientist/bounty hunter Dyson Ido, was excited by this possibility, but hasn't heard anything so far and fears that this is due to Alita's inability to fit the Disney brand.
"I know that people liked it and aside from what others said, I loved it and I liked working on it and I liked the result," Waltz said. “You know, it was Fox and Fox doesn't exist anymore. Now it's Disney. Maybe it doesn't fit into the Disneyfication, but I have no clue. I have no clue. Maybe they're working on something and I wouldn't be the first person to hear, but meanwhile, I haven't heard anything."
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, Alita: Battler Angel follows Alita, a dismembered cyborg discovered by Ido (Waltz). Placed into a teenager-shaped body and named after Ido’s deceased daughter, Alita finds herself in the futuristic, cyberpunk landscape of Iron City but suffers from amnesia. By exploring and participating in this world, Alita must re-discover who she is and her original connection to the godlike floating city of Zalem.
Despite earning $404 million on a $170 million budget, Alita: Battle Angel did better critically than expected. A sequel was clearly inferred, as noted by the surprise reveal of Edward Norton in the final moments as Zalem’s leader Nova.