Ridley Scott reveals ALIEN prequel details
Movie will be set thirty years before original, will be led by a woman & Scott will seek advice from original alien designer, H.R .Giger!
In this age of sequel after remake after adaptation it is perhaps understandable to adopt a cynical posture when it comes to the subject of Ridley Scotts upcoming prequel to the 1979 classic Alien. Yet fans of the original sci-fi masterpiece can take heart from a recent interview with Scott conducted by MTV, in which he professes that he is not a fan of sequels either, saying that he would never direct one unless he felt there was something fresh. He also went on to reveal some new information about this highly-anticipated film. So what has Scott revealed? Well, the film is currently slated for a release late next year and apparently the story is now set in stone, with the veteran director admitting he is just trying to improve the three acts and make the characters better Its a work in progress, but were actually making the film.Tantalisingly he reveals that the story will be set 30 years prior to that of the original film and that it will begin to answer some of that movies long unanswered questions. Chiefly it will shed light on the origin and purpose of the giant, dead creature the original crew found in a chair on the alien ship in the first movie:
Im explaining who the space jockeys were.He also revealed that the as-yet-untitled feature will be accessible to people who havent seen the original movies and that Sigourney Weavers iconic Ripley will not be making any kind of appearance at all, saying It will be before she was born! But that is not to say the longstanding feminist readings of Alien series will find themselves rendered obsolete in her absence as the main character will be a woman. Scott did not suggest who may be given the role, but he implied it could be a newcomer or a lesser known actor. Perhaps the most interesting piece of news is that Scott will seek out the advice of the original alien designer, H.R Giger, to develop new aliens which will feel in keeping with the old, as he feels that the old designs have lost their impact due to Alien having spawned a lucrative five-film (including the disastrous AVP spin-off series) franchise. It will be exciting to see just what they come up with and how it fits in with the established look of the previous films.
This should all serve as fairly encouraging news for fans of the series, as well as fans of Scotts work more generally, especially since both his best films have been made in the science fiction genre (he also directed 1982s Blade Runner). It is good to hear that the film will attempt to do something new, whilst still tying into the overall mythos as an origin story. And whilst every director will sell the line that theyre only making American Pie XI because we have a story to tell, in Scotts case this may be true. Whilst he did direct 2001s lacklustre Silence of the Lambs follow-up, Hannibal, he hasnt exactly made a career out of lazy sequels and re-makes. Anyway, if new Alien films are going to be made (and lets face it, they inevitably will as long as they make money) then we may as well watch a new one by the creator of the series.