AceShowbiz -

Mahershala Ali a.k.a. Mahershalalhashbaz Ali is in talks to join the burgeoning cast of "Alita: Battle Angel". If the deal is closed, the Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes of Marvel/Netflix's "Luke Cage" will share screen with Rosa Salazar who is tapped to play the titular female cyborg.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ali is eyed to play one of the villains named Vector in James Cameron's fantasy movie. He is described as a man who runs and fixes matches in a gladiator-style combat game called Motorball.

Keean Johnson and Christoph Waltz have been tapped to portray Hugo, the love interest of Alita, and Dr. Dyson Ido respectively. Meanwhile, Ed Skrein is set to play a character named Zapan. As for Jackie Earle Haley, he is expected to take a villainous role as a monstrous cyborg.

Robert Rodriguez will direct the adaptation based on Yukito Kishiro's popular manga series. Cameron will produce the film with his Lightstorm Entertainment partner Jon Landau and co-write the script with Laeta Kalogridis. The filming is due to begin in Austin, Texas this month for a July 20, 2018 release in U.S. theaters.

Set in the 26th century, "Alita: Battle Angel" follows the titular female cyborg who is rescued from a scrapyard by a doctor. With no memory of her previous life except her deadly martial-arts training, the rebuilt Alita becomes a hunter-warrior, tracking down and eliminating vicious criminals.