The release date for director Robert Rodriguez‘s Alita: Battle Angel has been pushed back for far too long. But now it looks like it has finally settled on a release date. Though the film was set for a December release, it’s new date does give us a chance to get a better idea of what the film is.

While most know it as an adaptation of the manga of the same name, Alita’s Pinocchio-esque story is expected to be action-packed and thrilling, as noted by the very exciting new trailer. The film follows a scientist (Christoph Waltz) who discovers and rebuilds a damaged cyborg named Alita (Rosa Salazar). However, what Alita doesn’t realize is that she is has untold secrets. The kind of secrets very powerful people like Vector (Mahershala Ali) is after. Check it out, below.

We’ve all seen the lengthy production history behind Alita. James Cameron, who is a writer and producer on the film, dropped out as the director so he could focus his attention on the Avatar sequels. Rodriguez would then step in as his replacement. However, numerous reschedules pushed the film back almost an entire year.

However, based on these trailers, the action and visuals do not disappoint. It’s every bit as thrilling as flipping through the pages of the titular manga. The story seems to pop off the screen. The gladiator sequence is reminiscent of something you would see out of a rollerball game or even a grittier futuristic take on gladiator scenes in Tron: Legacy.

So let’s just hope that the final product lives up to expectations.

Here is the official synopsis for Alita: Battle Angel:

From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.

Alita: Battle Angel also stars Jennifer Connelly, Ed Skrein, and Jackie Earle Haley. Fox will release the film in theaters on February 19, 2019.

Trailer

[Source: 20th Century Fox]