10 Cancelled Horror Movies That Would Have Been LEGENDARY

Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 is arguably the biggest missed opportunity in the entire Alien franchise.

In 2015, the District 9 director said he had planned an Alien sequel that functioned as a direct follow-up to Aliens and would see the return of central characters Ripley, Bishop, Newt, and Hicks.

The exact details surrounding Alien 5 are vague, but this announcement was enough to generate major buzz. Long-time fans were frustrated at how Ridley Scott's Prometheus drastically retconned the Xenomorphs' origins, so Blomkamp's film was the perfect opportunity to set things right.

If Alien 5 was a triumph, it could've reinvigorated the Alien saga, allowing Ripley to return in more adventures. On top of that, this decision would de-canonise the deaths of Hicks, Bishop, and Newt in Alien 3, giving fans some closure on that matter. 

Of course, Ridley Scott didn't want anybody taking the reins of the franchise he created, and so he pushed on with his Prometheus sequel, Alien: Covenant. Once more, this unneeded follow-up was derided for its lack of cohesion and for contradicting the established lore.

Even though Alien has recovered somewhat thanks to projects like Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth, seeing Ripley, Hicks, and Bishop reunite would've given the horror community the Alien experience we've been craving for decades.