The next Riddley Scott prequel movie titled Alien: Awakening get the ‘Alien’ wiped out from the title. Reason being the movie is unlikely to feature the legendary xenomorph. It is sad to notice that the Alien series might have outlived its life. Before the Alien: Covenant came out earlier this year, we felt that Ridley Scott was preparing to revamp the science fiction franchise majorly and we saw him how he boasted a bit about the future. However, the film’s debacle witnessed a change of tone. This is what the director said during an interview about his decision to choose directing Alien: Covenant instead of Blade Runner 2049.
“It was a crossfire of too much business. I’m doing a lot of TV and films; there are six films going out this year. I figured it was a good piece of business to follow through Prometheus, which, from ground zero, had good lift-off. So we went to Covenant to perpetuate the idea and [revive] the franchise of the Alien. I think the beast has almost run out, personally. [On 2049] You’ve got to come in with something else, you’ve got to replace that. And on Blade Runner, I think Denis was a fantastic choice.”
Alien: Covenant received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. However, the box office was the major factor. The film could bring in only $240.7 million globally against a production budget of approximately $97 million. That was anything but what Fox wanted, and that’s the reason why they are having a rethink about the future of the franchise. Same is the case with Ridley Scott, who was earlier thinking about six more Alien films.
Ridley Scott is presently working on the sequel to Alien: Covenant. He had earlier stated that the film might shoot in 2018 and he recently shared that the film will be based on an A.I. similar to the David portrayed by Michael Fassbender and not on Xenomorphs.
“I think the evolution of the Alien himself is nearly over, but what I was trying to do was transcend and move to another story, which would be taken over by A.I.’s. The world that the AI might create as a leader if he finds himself on a new planet. We have actually quite a big layout for the next one.”
When he says that “the beast has almost run out,” he might be talking about the Xenomorph in particular and not about the entire Alien universe. However, his tone has definitely undergone a change in recent months. Earlier at an SXSW roundtable discussion, Ridley Scott stated that he wishes to see the Alien franchise going on forever.
“Well, I think this is so, dare I say clever and violent and everything you kind of want. I think it’s a cut above what’s come before. And therefore we leave all kinds of things open for the next one. Just see how you go. I mean, I enjoy doing them so much. Honestly, I’d like to keep it going forever.”
There is no officially announced release date for the sequel to Alien: Covenant. Considering how the film had ended, at least one sequel would be needed to close the gap between the prequels and the original Alien. Have a look at this video clip of the Ridley Scott interview via The Hollywood Reporter:
Why did Ridley Scott decide to produce #BladeRunner2049 instead of direct? pic.twitter.com/m89KW5YZso
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 2, 2017
