By the timeAlien: Covenanthits theaters, it will have been just about five years sincePrometheuswas released. That is a pretty big gap for a high-profile sequel in one of the most beloved franchises of all-time from one of the most respected directors in the history of cinema. But withAlien: Covenantlooking like it will be a proper return to theAlienfranchise and all of the marketing materials getting fans incredibly hyped for some Xenomorph action,Ridley Scotthas already made it clear that he won’t be making the same mistake this time around. In fact, he already has thenext entry in the seriesready to go.
Sydney Morning Heraldrecently ran a very in-depth piece aboutAlien: Covenat, which featured quite a bit ofRidley Scotttalking about thePrometheussequel/Alien prequel. The director said quite a bit without revealing much, but without a doubt the most interesting bit is thatAlien: Covenant 2has already been written and, assuming this movie is a success, he is ready to shoot the following installment next year. Here is what he had to say about it.
“You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you’d better be ready. You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year.”
Part of the issue withPrometheus, at least for some, was that the movie didn’t feel like anAlienmovie. At least not elementally. Yes, there were spaceships and things that people could connect to that world, but properXenomorphswere nowhere to be found. Fox has made it very, painfully clear thatAlien: Covenantwill have what audiences want to see andRidley Scottalso makes that clear, but he also explains thatPrometheuswas setting up a much larger story. Here is what he had to say about it.
“What we did really well on Prometheus, considering that it was a ground zero idea that was starting all over again, was I discovered that people do have an appetite for the alien and what he means and his evolution, the egg, the facehugger, the chestburster as we call them. People still want to see it. So I return to a little bit of that but not wholeheartedly; there’s a lot in here which is new as well”
The latest trailer forAlien: Covenantfinally showed someNeomorphsin all of their glory. It looks like this movie will be showing us the genesis and creation of arguably some of the most feared creatures in cinema history, which is more than enough to get longtime fans of the franchise excited. According toRidley Scottthere is a question that the sequels toAliennever really addressed and he fully plans to address that question in this movie; who made the chest-bursting alien and for what purpose?
“10 years later I came back and said ‘you know what, I think I can resurrect the franchise.’ Alien was special without question; it was unique really. Prometheus was a good starting block to kick off the idea that no one ever asked in the sequels. Prometheus was about who and why? This is getting closer to who designed it and for what reason.”
So outside of some gory, scaryAlienaction that we have been craving sinceAlienshit theaters more than thirty years ago, we are actually going to get some answers, which is pretty interesting. One could argue that the mystery of the unknown is part of what makes something likeAlienwork, but this isRidley Scott’s baby and he seems to be very confident in what he is doing since he already has the sequel ready to go. That is good news for those of us who have been waiting a long time for another greatAlienmovie.
TheAlienfranchise isn’t known for turning around sequels in a timely manner. EvenAlienstook seven years to get made. But it looks like that won’t be the case this time around and assuming this movie is as good as it looks like it might be, that is a very good thing.The cast forAlien: CovenantincludesMichael Fassbender,Noomi Rapace,James Franco,Demian Bichir,Katherine Waterston,Danny McBride,Carmen Ejogo,Amy Seimetz,Jussie Smollett,Callie Hernandez,Nathaniel Dean,Alexander England,Benjamin RigbyandBilly Crudup.Alien: Covenantis directed byRidley Scottand is set for release on May 19.
