On September 30 , 2016 , Keean Johnson was reported to have been cast in the film to play Hugo , Alita 's love interest , who later becomes the reason for her to play a gladiator-style game called Motorball . The studio also considered Avan Jogia , Douglas Booth , Jack Lowden , and Noah Silver for the role , but decided on Johnson because they were looking for someone more " ethnically ambiguous " . On October 3 , 2016 , Mahershala Ali was reportedly in talks for the villainous role of Vector , a man who rigs Motorball combat matches . In an interview following his Best Supporting Actor win at the 89th Academy Awards , Ali revealed that he would play two roles in the film , although he did not elaborate on the nature of the second role
89th Academy Awards
89th Academy Awards
Alita: Battle Angel