Looks like Ridley Scott has an itch that only another Alien film (another prequel?) can scratch.
Scott–who stayed away from the hugely successful Alien franchise for more than three decades after helming the original 1979 classic–said in a recent interview that he is developing yet another film to continue the legendary series, as reported by Forbes.
The filmmaker passed the horror/science-fiction baton to James Cameron for Aliens, to David Fincher for Alien 3 and to Jean-Pierre Jeunet for Alien: Resurrection, but returned to the director’s chair for 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
Prometheus–filmed as a prequel to Alien–actually was described as having “strands of Alien’s DNA” and taking place in the Alien universe, but having its own mythology and ideas. The film–which received generally favorable reviews–grossed $400 million worldwide on a budget of $120 million.
The next (and as of now) final movie in the franchise–Alien: Covenant–was a sequel to Prometheus that followed a colony ship that lands on an uncharted planet and “makes a terrifying discovery.” This film–again garnering better-than-average reviews–did not fare as well at the box office, earning $240 million worldwide on a budget of $100 million.
The proposed Alien film-to-come, according to Scott, will probably not go the cinematic path of his two previous films. “We went down a route to try and reinvent the wheel with Prometheus and Covenant,” Scott said. “Whether we go directly back to that is doubtful.”
Scott said he needed to ask himself some basic questions about making another Alien film. “You’re asking fundamental questions like: ‘Has the Alien himself–the facehugger, the chestburster–have they all run out of steam? Do you have to rethink the whole bloody thing and simply use the word to franchise?’,” he said.
The director added that he definitely thinks there are more Alien-themed stories to tell. “I still think there’s a lot of mileage in Alien,” he said. “But I think you’ll have to now re-evolve.”
So, keep reading Horror News Network for all updates on the next Ridley Scott foray into the Alien universe.
