At this point it’s hard to keep up with the Alien movies and their prequels, spin-off’s, and their impending sequel/potential complete reboot. It seems as though the Alien universe can’t keep up with itself either with Ridley Scott and Neil Blomkamp at loggerheads with their respective films.
There are currently two new films in the franchise under development; Ridley Scott’s sequel to 2012’s ‘Prometheus‘ and Neil Blomkamp’s Alien 5, which may or may not become an alternate reality for ‘Alien 3’ and ‘Alien: Resurrection’. Additionally to being a sequel Prometheus 2 will be another prequel for the Alien movies. Alien content galore! For the purposes of this article we’ll ignore all the spin-off’s such as Alien vs. Predator.
It appears that both directors are trying to make their films at the same time, and considering they’re at almost opposite ends of the timeline, this births some problems. If Ridley Scott shakes things up in his world, that would presumably affect the events in Blomkamp’s world. However Blomkamp is considering ignoring two of the previous films anyway to film his project as a sequel to ‘Aliens‘ to create his own storyline. So anything could happen.
What is happening is that Ridley Scott is having none of Blomkamp’s plans with ScreenCrush reporting that his film will go ahead first, with Blomkamp to be held up. An anonymous source apparently stated:
“Blomkamp continues to work on the script (only an outline existed previously) and refine the tale he is telling. Ridley Scott is still producing, but has insisted on Prometheus 2 being made first.”
The question is will we see Ripley is either of these films?
The answer is most likely yes! Alien 5 should see Sigourney Weaver reprise the role although neither film has a plot available yet. Blomkamp hasn’t even finished the script for his. We do know that Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace are signed on for Prometheus 2. It’s anticipated so far that Prometheus 2 will be released in 2017 and Alien 5 in 2018. Or will the two directors fight it out? Scott is unlikely to budge on his position but Blomkamp wouldn’t want to wait around forever to make his film. The drama we crave may not come though with both saying there will be no treading on each other’s toes.
Some Titbits About Both Films
- –Ridley Scott spoke to The Australian to announce a new type of Alien will feature in Prometheus 2. He says this version will be very different to the one that terrorised Ripley and friends.
“The alien’s real which is why it’s probably one of the scariest monsters in film history. So with Prometheus 2 what I’m trying to do is reintroduce a fresher form of alien in the third act.”
– Filming is slated to begin in January 2016.
– There are rumours Scott will executive produce Alien 5 so that nothing in it contradicts Prometheus 2.
– Blomkamp has released concept art that suggests both Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Hicks (Michael Biehn) will be returning in Alien 5.
– Blomkamp has admitted to Empire he’s already changed his film to suit Prometheus 2 saying:
“I changed the one thing [Ridley Scott] felt was bumping ‘Prometheus’ a little bit. One thing that makes me feel good about it is that Ridley is producing it. He likes the idea of what I want to make.”
–Blomkamp says he has a title for his film and that it’s quite bold.
Hopefully all will be revealed soon. What are you hoping to see from these two films and how do you feel about Blomkamp taking on an Alien movie?