Not one to rest on his laurels, Ridley Scott has revealed that he’s already hashed out a script for the next Alien movie after Covenant, and is even entertaining the possibility of firing up production sometime in 2018.
Word comes by way of The Sydney Morning Herald (via Coming Soon), where Scott touched base on his vision for Covenant, and how he’s designed his prequel-sequel in such a way that it opens up a “back entrance” to the core Alien timeline. That all started with the release of Prometheus five years ago, and though the prolific director has been candid when addressing the film’s faults – frustrating characters, a lack of tangible answers…you name it – Sir Ridders doesn’t want to wait another five years before returning to the genre he helped define all those years ago.
Per SMH: “You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that, you’d better be ready,” Scott said. “You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year.”
Even at 79 years young, Ridley Scott’s appetite for filmmaking almost defies belief. Assuming the director is given the go-ahead for a Covenant sequel (Prometheus 3?), one might assume that it’ll be prepped and ready to slither into theaters in late 2019, or possibly 2020. Of course, 20th Century Fox is yet to officially disclose its plans for the franchise, but given the pedigree on board, not to mention the pent-up excitement for a true Alien film, we’re confident Ridley Scott will be given free rein when it comes to fleshing out his prequel trilogy. Whatever the outcome, the filmmaker isn’t about to walk away from the series.
“If you really want a franchise, I can keep cranking it for another six. I’m not going to close it down again. No way.”
On May 19th, Alien: Covenant pumps fresh, acidic blood into Scott’s horror icon. Katherine Waterston and Michael Fassbender are among the A-list cast, with the former on board as the gun-toting, Ripley-esque Daniels.