Sci-fi fans were thrown quite a curveball a few years ago when director Neill Blomkamp released a batch of concept images online that seemed to imply a new Alien film with Sigourney Weaver was in the works. Blomkamp and Weaver herself later confirmed this, and while not much was known about the film in terms of story, it would have taken place after James Cameron's Aliens, ignoring the subsequent installments (Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection). Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Newt would have also been in the film alongside Weaver as Ellen Ripley.
Unfortunately, the film was abruptly put on hold when director and franchise creator Ridley Scott announced Alien: Covenant, and there's been no forward movement on the project since. With Covenant's release approaching in the next few weeks, Scott has been doing the press tour for the film, and in an interview with French website Allocine, seemingly put the final nail in the film's coffin. “I think it will never see the light. There was never a scenario, just an idea that evolved into a pitch of 10 pages, I had to participate as a producer but it did not go any further because Fox decided that they did not want to do it. I had already done Prometheus and worked on Covenant.”
This statement contradicts what Sigourney Weaver said last year when discussing the project's delay, as the actress seemed fairly certain the film would still get made. "Well, I think it is [being made]. Ridley asked Neill not to make our Alien until after Prometheus 2. He wanted his movie to shoot and be released first. But it's an amazing script, and Neill and I are really excited about doing it. We're doing other things until we can get going on that. I'd be really surprised if we didn't do it, because it's such a great script, and we love working together. So, it's just going to take a little bit longer to get out to you, but it'll be worth the wait."
Are you disappointed that the film will likely never see the light of day? Or are you glad that Scott has taken the reigns of the franchise? Let us know in the comments! Alien: Covenant releases on May 18, 2017.
About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.