Ridley Scott wants to make another Alien prequel focused on the xenomorphs

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

A new report hailing from The Los Angeles Times has revealed that Alien filmmaker Ridley Scott would like to return to the franchise for another prequel to the storied sci-fi film series. Scott had carved his name into sci-fi cinematic history with the launch of ALIEN in 1979, a film so rich with character, atmosphere, and lore that it paved the way for several sequels, as well as Scott's 2012 prequel PROMETHEUS, and the origin-rich ALIEN: COVENANT (2017).

While PROMETHEUS and Covenant delved into the history of the series' multi-mouthed creatures, both films arrived as low points for the series, both in story quality as well as fan reception. Be that as it may, the Alien franchise goes far beyond the core films, with fans continuing to embrace novels, comic books, and board games based on the series. Now we're hearing that Ridley wants to give to give the xenomorphs another go, which I find to be welcomed news during what is assuredly a tough time for Hollywood.

According to Ridley, he believes that there's still "a lot of mileage" left in the franchise, though he also notes that it needs to "re-evolve."

“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,” Scott told Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times . “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 in the next idea, I think.”

Previously, there was talk of Scott developing a sequel to Covenant, which the filmmaker says would have continued the exploration of artificial intelligence, and how it poses a danger to this or any world as we know it. It was also said that a Covenant sequel could serve as a link between the original film and its prequel series. Be that as it may, Scott seems to imply that his new idea would be independent of PROMETHEUS and ALIEN: COVENANT.

In ALIEN: COVENANT, the latest film in the Alien franchise, the crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape. The film, starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, and James Franco, earned $240.9 million at the worldwide box office upon release.

While I recall being disappointed with Covenant, I remain forever hopeful that the Alien franchise will come back in a big way sometime down the road. Personally, I think that a film focusing on the xenomorphs is long overdue, as I'd found both PROMETHEUS and ALIEN: COVENANT to be overcrowded with human drama in addition to lore that was perhaps difficult to parse. It could very well be that a return to the franchise's roots is exactly what it needs.