Prometheus 2? Alien 5? The eighth movie in the xenomorph series (eleventh if you still accept Predator as part of it)? Whatever you view it as, it's happening. A sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien prequel Prometheus that will tie into his original sci-fi classic, 20th Century Fox have announced Alien: Covenant, set for release on 6th October 2017. After years of teases and rumours this is real cause for celebration. Scott's flying high after the return-to-form of The Martian and the promise of getting some more insight into where those drooling monsters actually come from (actual answers this time) is tantalising. Although it's only just been officially announced, we actually know quite a lot about Covenant already, thanks in no small part to an excitingly in depth synopsis of the movie's story and its role in the wider Alien mythology. Let's break it down.
7. It's The Second Film In The Prometheus Trilogy...
Thanks to his very open relationship with the press, we know in rather intimate detail the creative genesis of Prometheus. Originally a straight Alien prequel, it evolved through various forms, including for a long time being a two-parter, before (after Damon Lindelof came on board) becoming more distanced from the xenomorph, stated as only having "Alien's DNA". This somewhat explains why there was a distinct lack of coherent connective tissue in the first film, but also was key in the fuelling of a sequel - it was always on the cards, after all. So the announcement of Alien: Covenant was hardly be a surprise even without Scott's constant mooting - it fits the broad plan from early on. However, it's not the only thing that was announced in the press release, with some more information revealing how the wider Prometheus exercise will go down - it's going to wind up being a trilogy. Again, this is something that's been lightly mooted for a while, but it's clear that Fox are fully backing the idea and will be marketing the film as such. It also means that, while the film's main title is Alien, it is most certainly Prometheus 2.
