Now that producer James Cameron and director Robert Rodriguez have found their leading lady for what is now know as Alita: Battle Angel in Rosa Salazar, they've begun to lock in the cast around her. Christoph Waltz is in talks to play Doctor Dyson Ido.
Battle Angel, as it was called before is based on Yukito Kishiro's nine-volume manga (known as "Gun/Dream" in Japan): the story of an amnesiac female cyborg who becomes a bounty hunter, after being rescued from the rubbish dump and rebuilt by a professor of cybernetics. As his name might suggest, Waltz's character – should he actually join the film – will be that professor, who becomes something of a mentor to Alita.
This one has been in the works for years, with Cameron originally looking to direct, but waiting until effects technology caught up with his ideas. With Rodriguez now taking over the job, Cameron is hoping to have the cameras rolling in the autumn for a planned July 2018 release.
Waltz will be seen in Alexander Payne's Downsizing, arriving on December 25 next year in the States, but with no confirmed release date here yet. He's also worked on the delayed Tulip Fever, which similarly has no scheduled UK arrival on the books.