Let it be known that Alien: Covenant will be teeming with blood – lots and lots of blood.
IGN caught up with VFX supervisor and all-around industry stalwart Neil Corbould, who revealed that Covenant is the goriest entry into Ridley Scott’s franchise by quite a margin, after the production team went through “a few gallons of blood” while filming. Corbould knows a thing or two about working with on-screen violence, too, considering that the effects expert has credits on Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, and his comments only align with early signs that Scott is steering his sci-fi icon back to its slimy horror roots.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that Ridley Scott and his creative team are dialling up the violence just for the sake of it, though. As Corbould tells IGN, the director made a conscious effort to implement practical effects wherever possible in an effort to heighten realism.
“We’re trying to make it as realistic as possible because that’s what Ridley wants. He wants the shock factor. We’re going all out for that. From the stuff I’ve seen, it looks fantastic. I think it’s going to have a similar impact of what the original Alien did, because that was quite shocking when everyone saw that. It’s a true horror movie and I think that’s what this is going to be like.”
Whether that involves a surprise Chestburster scene a la Alien remains to be seen, but Corbould went on to shed light on the director’s old-school creative process.
“This is a film and Ridley, he loves to do things in camera, so the more we can do … He doesn’t like CG blood. He doesn’t like CG effects. He likes it to complement the work that we do and to do set extensions, but he loves realism. He wants a real alien running around the spaceship and stuff like that.”
Working under Ridley Scott and his commitment to old-fashioned horror proved to be quite the experience, according to series newcomer Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), who continued:
“It’s legitimately freaky a lot of the stuff that’s in this film. I’ve had these amazing moments when I’ve walked past my trailer and seen my friend’s head on a stick. So there have been times when I’ve thought it was the actor in front of me when it was a bean bag body with a perfect face. That’s actually one of the most chilling things to witness – is your friends all…damaged.”
Alien: Covenant will herald humanity’s first large-scale colonization mission to the stars when Ridley Scott’s prequel-sequel touches down on May 19th. It seems the filmmaker is already well on his way to crafting the third entry in his Prometheus saga – not only is Scott in possession of a spec script, but he’s also eyeing a 2018 production start.