In a roundtable discussion with ‘The Hollywood Reporter,’ Ridley Scott announced (or let slip) that he thinks the xenomorph, the acid-bleeding, saliva-dripping, face-hugging star of the ‘Alien’ franchise and one of cinema’s iconic sci-fi/horror creations, may be approaching its final appearance.
It’s been 35 years since Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner debuted and forever changed the landscape of science-fiction cinema. And 35 years later, the film is making an improbable comeback in theaters this fall in Blade Runner 2049, produced by Scott and directed by Denis Villeneuve. Harrison Ford returns to his role as Blade Runner Rick Deckard, with Ryan Gosling joining him as Officer K and Jared Leto playing himself (we think).
Someday, I hope someone makes a documentary about Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5. First the project was held up by Ridley Scott, then Blomkamp released concept art that kinda-sorta forced the studio’s hand, then Blomkamp’s Chappie bombed and 20th Century Fox started dragging its heels, and then Scott started saying that the project was never actually anything substantial to begin with. No Alien sequel, no matter how fun, could possibly match the twists and turns of Blomkamp’s real-life struggle to get the film made.
A new Alien opens in theaters this Friday; Alien: Covenant is the first movie in the beloved sci-fi franchise since 2012’s Prometheus, and the first with the word “alien” in the title since 2007’s timeless classic Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Audiences will decide whether Covenant is a worthy sequel (we liked it), but even if they do, the overwhelming odds are they will find it no better than the third best movie in the history of the series. That’s because the first two movies in the series — Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens — are amongst the best sci-fi films ever made.
When someone says they’re going to keep doing something until they die, they’re usually being figurative. But it would seem that Ridley Scott, now at age 79, fully intends on making the Alien franchise into his tomb. It’s impressive enough that he’s forged the most gore-heavy entry this deep into both the series and his own career, but Scott’s not losing his edge any time soon. In a new interview with Yahoo, Scott spoke about the future of the Alien movies, and you might wanna put on some shades, because the future’s looking real bright.
The title of Alien: Covenant directly refers to the spaceship carrying the film’s human characters, and indirectly refers to the film’s most pervasive theme: The tense relationship between gods and their creations. Students of the Old Testament learn about God’s covenant with Abraham, which promised the prophet the land of Israel in exchange for, among other things, his male descendants’ foreskin. Some gods work in mysterious ways; the ones in Alien: Covenant certainly do.
Alien: Covenant hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but that doesn’t mean that Ridley Scott can rest on his laurels just yet. With Prometheus, he expanded the Alien universe, and with Covenant he’s poised to expand it some more. That leaves plenty of room for his prospective slate of future Alien films, starting with his Covenant follow-up, which is currently untitled, but will be ready to film in a little more than a year.
And a very happy Alien Day to you, ScreenCrush readership! I trust you’ve already paid homage to the late John Hurt with the customary tense salad dinner and pantomimed death-spasms, and have refilled the ceremonial offerings at the Yaphet Kotto shrines we all keep in our closets. Today’s a day filled with wonders, many of which we outlined earlier this month, including various special screenings, a live trivia challenge, and plenty of exclusive merchandise to gussy up the mantle in need of something that says “expulsive viscera.” But one of today‘s surprise offerings dwarfs all pre-announced attractions, at least in terms of potential to give me nightmares.
In space… no one can hear your crackly John Denver records. The timeless country standard “Take Me Home, Country Road” provides an eerie soundtrack for the latest peek at Ridley Scott’s long-time-coming Alien prequel Covenant. Over some rather breathtaking shots of a hostile, foreign world (no offense, New Zealand), we hear the familiar ode to the beauty of the American South, contrasting the harsh new climate with mental pictures of the gentle, rolling hills of West Virginia. Things get progressively creepier as the Xenomorph descends on our motley crew of intergalactic colonists, scaling their spacecraft and trying to get at the humans inside like they’re the filling of a delicious meaty empanada.
Xenomorphs aren’t the most welcoming neighbors. They’re not going to leave a basket of freshly baked cookies on your porch or invite you to the weekend barbecue; they’re going to skip right ahead to eating you for the barbecue. Too bad the crew of the Covenant thought otherwise when they landed on a new alien-infested planet in Ridley Scott’s latest.
By the sounds of it, War Party could be the title of a fun satire that parodies war movie cliches. Or it could be a black comedy where Tom Hardy plays the owner of a small party supplies store that suffers once the locals start buying their birthday and baby shower decorations on Amazon. But War Party, a new project purchased by Netflix for seven figures, is neither of those things – one can dream! – but a historical film about Navy SEALs.
We haven’t seen much from Alien: Covenant since the red band trailer dropped late last year and a few photos here and there. But today brings a brand new photo of the colony ship’s crew (and a guest cameo), which finds everyone smiley and free of danger.
Had enough of those never-ending stills yet? Good news — the Alien: Covenant trailer is here, and it’s equal parts stunning and downright horrifying. Watch as a sinister particle drifts into an android’s ear, cringe as a man leans over a slowly hatching alien egg, marvel at the sweeping, beautiful landscapes of a planet we all know is full of creatures that want to kill us! Oh, and I am never, ever taking a shower again.
Another day, and oh, what’s this, another Alien: Covenant teaser image — surprise, surprise. But there are a couple of things different about this one: For starters, it’s visually sleeker and more sparse than the others, and it may very well give us our first sneak peek at Michael Fassbender’s new synthetic, Walter. Or it might just be a promotional image for Fassbender’s new solo concert series.
Although Noomi Rapace’s Dr. Elizabeth Shaw was one of the few survivors of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, the prequel to Alien (and predecessor to the upcoming Alien: Covenant), reports from the production have repeatedly claimed Rapace would not reprise her role for the sequel. Back in January, Scott told the press that Shaw wouldn’t appear in Alien: Covenant, which is set 10 years after the events of Prometheus, when a new crew of doomed astronauts stumble upon a paradise planet whose sole inhabitant is David, Michael Fassbender’s robot character from Prometheus. There had been some talk about Rapace “briefly” reprising her role, but then Scott’s claimed that she would not.