Unperturbed by the divisive reception of 2012’s Prometheus, Ridley Scott has mapped out some of the big plans in store for his Alien franchise moving forward. Now that we know 2017 will herald the release of Alien: Covenant, the esteemed director has confirmed that said sequel will lay the groundwork for “another one, and then another one.”
Keen to dovetail the story of his Alien prequel trilogy with the seminal 1979 original, we’re learned of Scott’s desire to take full control of the sci-fi franchise, effectively ordering Neill Blomkamp’s pitched follow-up to the shelf for the foreseeable future. Shedding light on the origins of the indelible Xenomorph, the director has promised that answers are coming, and the release of Covenant is just the beginning.
Speaking at a Sydney press conference (via The Hollywood Reporter), Scott announced the news just as Alien: Covenant readies itself to slither into pre-production. A February start date has been in place for some time, and 20th Century Fox is well on its way to hitting that, welcoming back Michael Fassbender and, we assume, Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw. Says Scott: “When [Covenant] finishes there’ll be another one and then another one. They’ll gradually drive into the back entrance of the 1979 film.”
As for the general pitch of the quasi-prequel, the filmmaker continued by explaining why he wants to place a laser focus on the creation of the Xenomorphs, and their relationship with the all-powerful Engineers.
“Prometheus 1 was borne out of my frustration that on Alien 1 in 1979 – I only did one as I don’t normally do sequels. I was amazed that in the 3 that followed that no-one asked the question “why the Alien, who made it and why?” Very basic questions. So I came up with the notion of Prometheus 1, which starts to indicate who might have made it and where it came from. It’s a very complex story. Its an evolution of what I first did with Prometheus 1.”
Scott’s recent comments certainly align with what Aliens actor Michael Biehn had to share about the production, claiming that Alien: Covenant will actually feature two breeds of Xenomorphs: the regular ol’ nightmare machine, and an Ultramorph – that is, an exceedingly large alien birthed from an Engineer. We’ll find out for sure one way or the other when it opens in theaters on October 6, 2017.