It’s now been over two years since the release of Alien: Covenant, and so far, we’ve yet to receive any confirmation that another movie is particularly close to going into production. That being said, it at least sounds like a third Alien prequel is currently bubbling in development with the involvement of director Ridley Scott.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the franchise’s first installment, Variety published an article reflecting on the sci-fi classic and its genesis. After referencing Covenant and 2012’s Prometheus, the piece mentions that another prequel, which Scott will helm, is “in the script phase.”
After the mixed response received by Prometheus and Covenant – not to mention the underwhelming box office performance of the latter – there’s been a lot of uncertainty around the future of the franchise. Nonetheless, it sounds like filmgoers in the pro-prequel camp still have reason to be optimistic that Covenant’s cliffhanger ending may some day be resolved.
Indeed, in the wake of the Disney/Fox merger, the Mouse House implied at this year’s CinemaCon that Alien is one of the Fox franchises they plan to continue. Meanwhile, Scott has repeatedly made it clear that he’s put some thought into where the series can go from here. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, the director acknowledged that it’s tough to keep the saga fresh after all these years, before adding that they’re looking to “see where it can evolve.”
From the sound of things, Alien: Covenant 2 may still be a long way off from reaching theaters, assuming it ever does. All the same, it’s looking very likely that the franchise has some life in it yet, and if Scott can find a way to keep things interesting, then all the better.
