Ridley Scott Says New ‘Alien’ Film Is Coming, but Likely Won’t Revisit ‘Prometheus’ World
Ridley Scott has returned to the world of dystopic sci-fi as executive producer on HBO Max’s post-apocalyptic series “Raised by Wolves,” and the show’s android-centered conceit has naturally raised the question of whether we should expect a new “Alien” movie any time soon. In a new interview with Forbes, Scott teased the future of the franchise, and said that a new film, while in the works, isn’t likely to revisit the worlds set up by 2012’s “Prometheus” and 2017’s “Alien: Covenant.”
“That’s in process. We went down a route to try and reinvent the wheel with ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Covenant,’” he enthused. “Whether or not we go directly back to that is doubtful because ‘Prometheus’ woke it up very well. But you know, you’re asking fundamental questions like, ‘Has the Alien himself, the facehugger, the chestburster, have they all run out of steam? Do you have to rethink the whole bloody thing and simply use the word to franchise?’ That’s always the fundamental question.”
“Prometheus” was Scott’s first return to the “Alien” universe in more than 30 years since the 1979 original starring Sigourney Weaver. He’d passed the baton onto James Cameron with “Aliens,” David Fincher with “Alien 3,” and Jean-Pierre Jeunet with “Alien: Resurrection.”
Earlier this year, Scott also shared similar sentiments with the Los Angeles Times. “I still think there’s a lot of mileage in ‘Alien,’ but I think you’ll have to now re-evolve,” Scott said. “What I always thought when I was making it, the first one, why would a creature like this be made and why was it traveling in what I always thought was a kind of war-craft, which was carrying a cargo of these eggs. What was the purpose of the vehicle and what was the purpose of the eggs? That’s the thing to question — who, why, and for what purpose is the next idea, I think.”
Filming on Scott’s upcoming film, the historical epic “The Last Duel,” remains halted due to the pandemic. Quarantine hit as Scott was in production on the film written by Ben Affleck, Damon, and Nicole Holofcener, centered on best friends turned rivals Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) who are ordered to battle to the death after Carrouges accuses Le Gris of raping his wife. It’s now set to be released on October 15, 2021, from 20th Century Studios.
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