Deadpool bad guy Ed Skrein will suit up for Alita: Battle Angel, James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez’s ambitious adaptation of the popular manga graphic novels.
Skrein will once again play a heavy, closing a deal to join the cast that already includes Maze Runner actress Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz and Jackie Earl Haley.
Rodriguez is directing while Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment partner Jon Landau are producing for Fox.
Set in the 26th century, Alita tells of a female cyborg (Salazar) that is discovered in a scrapyard by a scientist. With no memory of her previous life except her deadly martial-arts training, the woman becomes a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals.
Skrein will play a character named Zapan, a villainous cyborg who is in possession of a weapon called the Damascus blade.
An October start in Austin is being targeted.
Skrein starred in 2015 action movie The Transporter Refueled but gained further attention when he co-starred opposite Ryan Reynolds in Fox’s surprise global hit Deadpool. He currently is shooting the thriller In Darkness with Natalie Dormer and Emily Ratajkowski.
Skrein is repped by CAA, the U.K.’s 42 Agency and Bloom Hergott.
