Sigourney Weaver And Ridley Scott To Team Up For Alien-Less ‘Alien’ Sequel?



There has been a neverending stream of speculation about the future of the “Alien” franchise probably since the very moment “Alien Resurrection” crashed and burned with most fans. Could James Cameron or Ridley Scott be weighing a return to the franchise or would we be cursed with more Predator crossovers? These are the questions that can try a man’s soul.

But wait, there is hope! When I chatted with Sigourney Weaver the other day (check out her take on the “Ghostbusters” sequel here), the actress definitely seemed to still have plans for her iconic alter-ego. “There’s definitely uncharted territory for Ripley,” she promised.

However Weaver wondered if the alien itself can and should factor into another film after the exposure its gotten in two “AVP” films. She asked aloud “whether there’s unchartered territory for a creature who’s become somewhat debased by this computer generated thing. I haven’t seen ["Alien Vs. Predator"] but I just think if you overexpose the creature, that’s a mistake.”

Weaver confirmed that she and Scott have discussed re-teaming for a fifth film, “Both of us feel a kind of commitment to that woman. He’s as much responsible for who she is as I am.” Then as she opined on the way the alien creature had been ruined in the recent films, Weaver’s comments got especially interesting.

“We’d have to go back to the drawing board on [the alien],” she said. “Ridley said that right away when we first talked about [a fifth film].”

And finally, the quote that’s gotten me mighty curious, “What we’re interested in is taking the character of Ripley and seeing what other science fiction story we can tell about someone who has lived several lives.”

I didn’t really process what Weaver was saying at the time I suppose but it sounds to me like we might be less looking at “Alien 5″ and more of “Chronicles of Ripley.” Are Scott and Weaver thinking about an altogether different type of sci-fi adventure for the character? Color me intrigued.

Are you?

Carl Rinsch to Direct Alien Prequel

Earlier yesterday, rumors were coming out of horror site Bloody-Disgusting that 20th Century Fox was interested in relaunching the "Alien" franchise with some sort of reboot or remake, following the recent news that Robert Rodriguez would be doing the same thing for 20th Century Fox's other sci-fi creature franchise, Predator.

While there was no confirmation from the Fox camp or the trades, Collider's roving reporter "Frosty" cornered director Tony Scott at the press conference for his own remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 to get confirmation and learned that Scott-Free Productions is indeed producing a remake with director Carl Rinsch helming. They hope that the movie, which is meant act as a prequel to Ridley Scott's original 1979 classic Alien, will be shooting by the end of the year.

The original B-D story suggested that they would return to the original concept of just one alien creature, and that they'd be looking for a new "Ripley."

Ridley Scott Confirmed to Direct Alien Prequel

After months of rumor and speculation, Variety confirms that 20th Century Fox plans to keep the "Alien" franchise alive with a prequel film that will be directed by original helmer Ridley Scott. The announcement that Fox has hired a writer comes just two months after the 30th Anniversary of Scott's original sci-fi horror film which launched a series of movie sequels, a number of comic books, and two movies that pit the Aliens against Fox's other creature franchise, the Predator. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts has been hired to write the prequel after the studio was impressed by his work on two space thrillers, both for Keanu Reeves, called Passengers and Shadow 19.

great news... so it's a prequel after all.

what's the plot? could it be how the Space Jockey end up as in Alien? or will we see any alien's origin planet?

Space Jockey carcass a suit? Alien Prequels!

To drop another massive name, I was able to arrange a brief sit-down with Ridley Scott prior to his Q&A. I had to sacrifice watching the last hour of Alien, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that movie before. Heh.

- On the Alien prequel: “I sat thinking about the franchise, which now has died on the road somewhere way back and lying in the dust, and thought what I should do is go back… in the first Alien, when John Hurt climbed up and over the top of the rise… there was a massive giant lying in a chair. The chair was either a form of engine or some piece of technology and I always thought no one has ever asked who was the space jockey?”

- The Alien prequel will be broken into two films. The scripts are written and Scott is prepping it now.

- Time frame is way before Alien. Not only will we find out who the Space Jockey is, we’ll find out where his people come from.

- The first Alien was The Old Dark House with 7 people with an unwelcome visitor. Scott loved the script, but it was a very basic screenplay.

-The prequel will go further into the world of terraforming and will focus on the realities of what it takes to leave for another planet. He mentioned the theory of Near Faster-Than-Light travel, which is complete science fiction at the moment; “Mr. Spock stuff” as he called it, rearranging matter essentially, but theoretically possible. “But what we’re allowed to do by movies is to cheat like hell. But I think the closer it is to the truth, the closer it is to the technological feasibility then it becomes that much more interesting. And if it’s a film like the one I’m going to do, then it becomes that much more frightening.”

Ridley Scott's Alien Prequel Will Be Titled Paradise



The news surrounding Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien prequel has been mostly gossip and innuendo till now. One minute it’s not happening at all, the next it’s been pushed back a year, and now none of that’s true and everything’s fine, production starts in March. Oh, and it has a title so we can quit calling it Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel. Here’s the title: Paradise.

That title makes sense in context with some of what we’ve heard about the script. It even fits with those crazy rumors about the thing involving aliens forcing human colonists to have gay sex in an ill-informed effort to make them procreate. Those rumors may not be true, but there was supposed to be an idyllic farm planet, which could be sort of a paradise, and it’s easy to imagine the theme of the whole thing being some sort of riff on paradise lost. That’s just what happens when ravenous aliens show up.

But all we really know about the plot for certain is that the Spacey Jockeys, a new alien race, will be involved and that victims will be picked off by the old familiar aliens. It’s a sure bet that’ll happen mostly one at a time. NY Mag, who first scooped the movie’s title, says in addition to the female part rumored to be for Noomi Rapace, there’s an android character (an earlier version of the Bishop 341-B character played by Lance Henriksen in Aliens) and that Michael Fassbender was up for the role but lost it by asking for too much cash. Someone should probably remind him that he’s still just that British guy who died in Inglourious Basterds.

There’s also a part for a 40-something tough chick called “Vickers” which Michelle Yeoh could be up for. Wait, isn’t Noomi Rapace the tough chick type? In space, I guess all women are sort of badass.

The other role their talking about won’t be cast, because they’re going the all CGI route that Gollum took, unless they cast someone to pull an Andy Serkis and run around in a gimp outfit.

So I guess we can start calling this thing Paradise, though, don’t we need some sort of callback to the other Alien movies in the title? Alien: Paradise may not be the title, but it feels right.

And it’s while they’re making love that he bursts and dies. So that lovemaking sequence echoed my original lovemaking sequence where he explodes! It was messy

Neill Blomkamp is Officially Taking on an Alien Sequel!

District 9 and Elysium helmer Neill Blomkamp made headlines last month when he posted a series of concept art designs for a new film in the 20th Century Fox’s Alien franchise. Although the filmmaker admitted that the designs were unofficial, he hinted that he’d be more than happy to take on such a project. Today, Blomkamp posted a new image with a message that should make Alien franchise fans pretty happy!

“So I think it’s officially my next film,” he writes!

At this point it’s uncertain precisely what route the new film will take or if Signourney Weaver (whose Ellen Ripley was featured in the concept designs) will be returning to the franchise.

“[Sigourney] knows about it,” Blomkamp told ComingSoon.net last week, “and part of it was just inspired by speaking to her on set when we were filming ‘Chappie,’ and getting her thoughts on ‘Alien’ and what she thought of the movies that came after ‘Aliens’ and what she felt about Ripley and what was incomplete for her about Ripley. There was so much fuel in what she was telling me.”

You can read more about Blomkamp’s thoughts on the new project right here and check back for further information as soon as it becomes available!

Blomkamp’s latest, Chappie, also stars Weaver and lands in theaters March 6!

While there’s no telling how indicative they are of Blomkamp’s current plans, you can check out the original art he posted in the gallery viewer at the bottom of this page!

Ridley Scott Explains Alien: Paradise Lost Title

Despite seemingly digging itself into a position of poor critical and fan reception with Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection in the mid-90s, followed by a pair of not-great Aliens vs. Predator films, the Alien brand is back bigger than ever. Alien: Isolation helped course correct the franchise’s video game woes and as we speak Alien 5 is in development alongside a sequel to Prometheus.

The latter, according to original Alien director Ridley Scott – who returns again for Prometheus 2 – is being planned to have multiple sequels of its own; meaning in the next few years there may be Alien movies releasing annually in a revitalized shared universe of sorts. That couldn’t be more evident than in Scott’s revelation yesterday of the Prometheus sequel’s title: Alien: Paradise Lost.