Alien 5: Ridley Scott Says Ripley's Return Didn't Even Have A Script

Despite how excellent the concept art for Neill Blomkamp's mooted sequel to Aliens (called, confusingly Alien 5, and not Aliens 2) looked, it seems we're going to have to permanently file it away to the "what could have been" category of film history. Because it's probably not happening at all.

With Alien: Covenant not far from hitting cinemas and Ridley Scott promising several more movies in the same timeline, Blomkamp's film was always going to be under question. It would have been too distracting from Scott's own vision, and you can understand why he might be reticent to allow it to exist.

Now, Scott has spoken to Allocine to discuss Covenant, and confirmed that Alien 5 wasn't actually as far as the concept art reveals seemed to suggest. In fact, it wasn't even written:

I don't think it will ever see the light of day. There was never a script. Just an idea that evolved from a dozen or so pages. I had to participate as producer, but it didn't go farther because Fox decided it didn't want to do it. As far I was concerned, I had already done Prometheus and I was working on Covenant.

It's a major shame - particularly as it means we likely won't get to see Ellen Ripley again (unless Scott's confusing timeline eventually rejoins his original timeline after Alien: Resurrection, or wipes that and Alien 3 out of existence entirely somehow) - even if Chappie wasn't all that great.

Still, at least Covenant looks great.