Alita: Battle Angel adds Jennifer Connelly as a villain

As filming on Alita: Battle Angel continues in Austin, Texas, another casting addition has been confirmed: Jennifer Connelly joins the manga adaptation in a villainous role, EW has learned.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by James Cameron, the film stars Rosa Salazar as the titular cyborg, who is found in a scrapyard by a scientist. With no memories aside from her martial arts abilities, she becomes a bounty hunter tracking down criminals in the 26th century.

Connelly joins Christoph Waltz, Moonlight Oscar nominee Mahershela Ali, and Deadpool's Ed Skrein. The actress was last seen in American Pastoral, directed by and starring Ewan McGregor, as well as Paul Bettany's Shelter and Darren Aronofsky's Noah.

THR first reported the news of Connelly's casting.

Cameron worked on the screenplay for Alita: Battle Angel, but ultimately passed on directing duties to focus on the Avatar franchise. He did, however, remain on board as a producer.

The film is currently scheduled for theaters beginning July 20, 2018.