UNTITLED ALIEN PREQUEL (2011) - PREVIEW

Untitled Alien Prequel (2011)

Starring: TBA
Director: Ridley Scott
U.S. Opening Date: 2011

THEY SAY

Back in 2004 director Scott told Empire magazine that “we have an idea for a fifth one, all about the Jockey. He wasn’t an Alien; he was another race. They use Alien eggs to overrun planets, then kill the Aliens with an antidote and take the worlds for themselves. Bacteriological warfare.”

(The giant so-called “Space Jockey” was briefly glimpsed during the early scenes of the first Alien movie where the spaceship crew investigates a distress signal and comes across an alien derelict spaceship. See the pic here.)

Since then the project was pretty quiet until 31 July 2009 when it was announced that Ridley Scott, who had proposed video artist Carl Erik Rinsch (who also happens to be his daughter’s boyfriend!) as director to revive the Alien franchise for Fox, is apparently going to direct the long-rumoured Alien prequel himself.

Screenwriter Jon Spaihts is writing the script for this prequel to the original 1979 movie, which coincidentally is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Scott Free, Ridley and Tony Scott’s company, will produce the film.

In a 2009 interview the director indicated a possible change in direction for the plot to give the story a more “human focus.”

“It's a brand new box of tricks,” the director said. “We know what the road map is, and the screenplay is now being put on paper. The prequel will be a while ago. It's very difficult to put a year on Alien, but [for example] if Alien was towards the end of this century, then the prequel story will take place thirty years prior.”

“I never thought I'd look forward to a sequel,” he said. “But a prequel is kind of interesting. I’m looking forward to doing that.”

WE SAY

Since the announcement of the Alien prequel earlier this year things have been quiet and Ridley Scott’s name has been attached to a non-genre TV series – the point being that Scott has been going through science fiction and other projects (The Forever War, Brave New World) like Quagmire in Family Guy goes through Kleenex tissues!

So will an Alien prequel get made? Probably. After all, it’s still one of 20th Century Fox’s more marketable franchises.

To be honest we would rather have seen Scott direct a movie version of The Forever War, a bona fide science fiction classic novel by Joe Haldeman, but then again maybe again Alien vs. Predator: Requiem just left a bad taste in our mouth . . .

If another Alien movie does get made, then we can only agree with Sigourney Weaver who said that “I wasn’t too thrilled with the whole Alien vs. Predator thing – they soiled the nest. So I hope they do a good job again. The fact that Ridley is directing is great.”

 

UPDATE (30 Oct 2009):  Director Ridley Scott talks about his planned Alien prequel at the London Film Festival . . .

UPDATE (21 Oct 2009): No more Alien prequel for Scott?