Ed Skrein has been cast as the Alita: Battle Angel villain, Zapan
The Alita: Battle Angel villain has been cast today as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Ed Skrein (who recently menaced Deadpool as Francis, aka Ajax) will play the Manga’s cyborg foe Zapan. In the film version, Zapan will be in possession of the powerful Damascus Blade.
Ed Skrein joins a cast that currently includes Rosa Salazar in the title role, two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz as Doctor Dyson, and Oscar nominee Jackie Earl Haley in an undisclosed role.
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Set in the 26th century, Alita: Battle Angel tells the story of Alita, an amnesiac female cyborg who is rescued from a scrapyard by Dyson. The rebuilt Alita, remembering only her training in a deadly martial art, becomes a hunter-warrior, tracking down and eliminating vicious criminals. Within the context of an epic action-adventure, the film aims to explore a young woman’s journey of self-discovery and finding love.
James Cameron had been developing the big screen adaptation for more than a decade, but now that he’s is in pre-production on four Avatar sequels, he has his hands a little full and has turned the Alita reins over to Sin City director Robert Rodriguez.
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Ed Skrein also starred this year in Mads Matthiesen’s Danish drama The Model. He can be seen coming up in the Federico D’Alessandro sci-fi thriller TAU and in the Anthony Byrne thriller In Darkness.
A Twentieth Century Fox production, Alita: Battle Angel will begin production in Austin next month.
What do you think of Ed Skrein as the Alita: Battle Angel villain? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
(Photo Credit: Brian To / WENN.com)
