Looks like 20th Century Fox’s bustling Twitter feed isn’t the only source for Alien: Covenant promos. After capping off a week-long spree of horrific teases with a serene shot of Michael Fassbender’s synthetic (Walter?), Empire Magazine has now blown the lid off a new, behind-the-scenes pic, this time drawing attention to Katherine Waterston’s Daniels.
Sporting a very familiar, Weyland-branded tank top and a hefty weapon (pulse rifle?), Waterston’s steely protagonist continues to echo one Ellen Ripley, and though speculation is rife that her character of Daniels is in some way related to Sigourney Weaver’s genre icon, Katherine Waterston downplayed such comparisons during a chat with Empire.
“These are things you actively don’t think about until you get interviewed to remind you that you should be pissing yourself. Unlike Sigourney in Alien, [Daniels] is in a survival mode of sorts from the beginning. She’s not the captain, but she’s a natural leader so in times of crisis she falls into that position quite easily.”
A natural leader who isn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands, what we do know for sure is that Waterston’s Daniels will be operating under Branson (James Franco), the ship’s captain and her distant spouse. Considering that Franco is said to hold a minor role in Alien: Covenant, one that’s already been compared to Guy Pearce’s portrayal of Peter Weyland, we imagine that Branson is more of an ancillary character in the grand scheme of things.
Whatever the case, in returning to the genre he helped define, Ridley Scott is ready to bring back the scares to his Alien universe. On the topic of the film’s horror factor, Michael Fassbender stated simply: “It’s going to be really scary, this film.”
It’s been a busy, busy week in the Covenant camp, and we fully expect Fox to strike while the iron is piping hot and unveil the movie’s first trailer imminently – this weekend, in all likelihood. Ridley Scott’s R-rated prequel will then creep into theatres on May 19, 2017.
