February 8, 2017 - 10:43 AMT
Jennifer Connelly cast as villain in "Alita: Battle Angel"

Jennifer Connelly has joined the cast of Alita: Battle Angel, James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez’s ambitious adaptation of the popular manga graphic novels, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

The movie is currently in production in Texas with Maze Runner actress Rosa Salazar playing the title character.

Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali and Ed Skrein are also among those on the call sheet for the Fox franchise hopeful.

Rodriguez is directing the pic, while Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment partner Jon Landau are producing.

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. The action-adventure story is meant to serve as a backdrop to themes of self-discovery and the search for love.

Connelly will play one of the villains.

The actress, who won an Oscar for her performance in 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, is currently shooting Granite Mountain, the true-life tale of the elite firefighters who perished while fighting a wild blaze in Arizona.