James Cameron's Battle Angel Alita Could Star Bond Villain

James Cameron's live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga classic Battle Angel: Alita has been in development for a long time, but casting is now underway. It has been reported that Spectre villain Christoph Waltz is being considered for a key role in the sci-fi action movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Waltz is in talks to play Doctor Dyson Ido, a cybersurgeon who becomes a mentor to the title character. In May, THR reported that Maze Runner star Rosa Salazar had been cast as the film's lead.

Battle Angel: Alita is to be directed by Sin City's Robert Rodriguez, with Cameron producing and writing. Cameron intended to direct the movie for many years, but last year handed over the reins to Rodriguez, who is also known for the likes of From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, and the Spy Kids movies.

In October, Cameron told Variety: "Robert and I have been looking for a film to do together for years, so I was pumped when he said he wanted to do Battle Angel. He's very collaborative and we're already like two kids building a go-kart, just having fun riffing creatively and technically.

"This project is near and dear to me, and there's nobody I trust more than Robert, with his technical virtuosity and rebel style, to take over the directing reins. We're looking forward to learning a lot from each other while we make a kick-ass epic."

Battle Angel: Alita is the futuristic story of an amnesiac cyborg who becomes a deadly bounty hunter. It was first published in 1990, and ran for nine volumes until 1995. In 1993, a two-episode anime version was produced, which adapted the first two volumes of the manga.

While Fox are yet to announce a release date for the movie, THR states that the studio is aiming for July 2018.