James Cameron's Alita: Battle Angel to release in India on 8 February, 2019, a week before film hits US shores

James Cameron’s _Alita: Battle Angel_ will be released in India on 8 February next year, a week before it hits the US screens. The cyberpunk action film is based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga Battle Angel Alita, known as Gunnm in Japan. [caption id=“attachment_5550311” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A still from Alita: Battle Angel. Screengrab from YouTube[/caption] The story takes place in a dystopian world and revolves around an amnesiac female cyborg Alita, who is rescued from a scrapyard by a doctor named Ido. After she is rebuilt, it is known that she has forgotten all about her mysterious past. The compassionate doctor Ido tries to shield her past in order to protect her from the evil forces operating the Iron City (the place around which the story is set). As Alita learns to navigate through her new life, she befriends the street smart guy Hugo, who offers to help trigger her memories and learn about her past. The film has been in conception for the past 10 years under filmmaker James Cameron. Known for his magnum opuses like Titanic and Avatar (both received record Oscar nods), Cameron is known for his cinematic acumen with a superior sense of aesthetics that weave magic on celluloid. However, in 2015, he handed over the directorial baton to Robert Rodriguez who, in the past, has helmed projects like Spy Kids, Machete and Sin City. The screenplay of  _Alita: Battle Angel_  is penned by Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis and Rodriguez. While Rosa Salazar has voiced protagonist Alita’s character, the film also stars Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein and Jackie Earle Haley.