5 Burning Questions That Alien: Covenant’s Possible Sequel Needs To Answer

In space no one can hear you give up on a beloved film franchise…

So, 20th Century Fox has pumped the brakes on the Alien series and is “re-assessing” whether Alien: Covenant may or may not be getting a sequel. Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away? Like, seriously.

Sure, Scott’s latest flick may’ve somewhat underwhelmed domestically, but it’s still the second highest grossing Alien film at the worldwide box office (second only to 2012’s Prometheus). It’s fair to say that it resonated well with the majority of critics, too: it landed a “fresh” 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “generally favorable” 65 on Metacritic — those are solid numbers, particularly for a movie straight out of the ol’ horror camp, a genre that tends to skew lower than other more “serious” movies.

Our very own Matt Donato did have a few issues with the movie though eloquently surmised Alien: Covenant as “a thrill-ride that blasts through celestial carnage,” and that Scott’s latest is “a wild, warp-speed-killing-machine adventure.” You can read his full review here.

Despite a favorable critical reception, the general scuttlebutt from moviegoers errs more on the negative side of the spectrum. Like a pulsating Xenomorph waiting patiently to burst out from my ribs, I felt the need to go on record and come to the defence of Alien: Covenant. Overall, I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about it, though I do genuinely think that the movie was not a bad one, but simply a “good” one. To be sure, it’s flawed and occasionally clumsily constructed, however I still found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking and an incredibly gorgeous film, too.

That said, it’s clear that Scott is ready to make a sequel and has scripts penned for a couple more outings. I might be on my own again here, but I believe that the director absolutely deserves to make a follow-up. It’s a series that he helped to create and if Fox decides to show him the door, I’d go as far as saying that that would be a huge slap in the face to steadfast Alien fans and also a gut-punch to one of Hollywood’s most talented directors.

Scott deserves to make a sequel and we deserve answers to the big questions that were posed in both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Ideally, I’d like to see the next movie (if we ever get one) directly bridge the gap between Alien: Covenant and Scott’s 1979 classic rather than seeing none at all, or – perhaps worse still – an endless tirade of slowly deteriorating reboots. Ew.

So, strap yourselves in as WGTC delves into the 5 biggest questions that need to be answered in Scott’s potential follow-up. Just make sure to cover your chops and watch out for those pesky face-huggers.