10 Film Franchises That Are Officially In Jeopardy

Ridley Scott rewrote the manual on sci-fi horror with Alien in 1979, but his efforts to explain its deepest mysteries with a series of prequels have yielded mixed fortunes.

Both Alien: Covenant and the theologically-bloated Prometheus failed to bring in the kind of box office bucks the studio was banking on, so there are some tough decisions ahead for Scott, his creative team, and Fox executives.

Prometheus divided the fans, many of whom complained it was too radical a departure from the world of Facehuggers and Xenomorphs they know and love, while Covenant felt like a forced apology to people who felt that way.

The below-par box office takings already appear to have scaled back Scott's prequel plans, cutting them down from four films to three, and there's a good chance they will also shape the director's approach to the next movie.

There's a lot riding on Covenant's follow-up. Not only does Scott have to bridge the gap between the prequels and the beloved original in a satisfying way, Alien is in dire need of a hit film to secure its long-term future after two underwhelming installments.