After being in development for many years, one of James Cameron‘s passion projects is seemingly coming together. THR reports Christoph Waltz is in the early stages of discussion to star in the Robert Rodriguez-directed, Cameron-scripted adaptation of the manga series Alita: Battle Angel. If it goes through, Waltz would star alongside Rosa Salazar (The Maze Runner), who plays a cyborg unearthed by a scientist (Waltz) in a junk yard. She grows up to become a bounty hunter after being taken under the wing of Waltz’s scientist. Cameron is also producing with Jon Landau and co-writing with Laeta Kalogridis. Fox is currently looking at a July 2018 release.
After seeing to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the Mark Walhberg-led The Gambler, director Rupert Wyatt is returning to the former’s roots with a sci-fi project titled Captive State that he will helm, Variety reports. While it is co-written with his wife Erica Beeney (featured on Project Greenlight as the writer of The Battle of Shaker Heights), no other details regarding the plot have been announced — leaving one to ruminate on the title. Production is slated for summer 2017, with a bidding war reportedly underway between studios for the property.
Lastly, Andrew Scott is set to star in Steel Country, according to Screen Daily. A thriller set in a small town in Pennsylvania, Steel Country concerns a truck driver (Scott) who dons a figurative detective’s hat when a young boy turns up dead — the driver is convinced he was murdered, but not everyone in the town agrees. The film is helmed by Simon Fellows off a script by first-time writer Brendan Higgins. The King’s Speech producer Gareth Unwin will produce alongside Leon Clarance, Tai Duncan, and Mark Williams. It will begin shooting tomorrow, August 26th, in Georgia.
Unwin said on the script, “It’s a whip smart script, that I am sure in Simon’s capable hands will deliver a fantastic contemporary film with a classic sheen. It’s the quality of script I’ve always dreamt of finding.” Steel Country also stars Bronagh Waugh, Jared Bankens, Cory Scott Allen, and Catherine Dyer.