Is Michael Fassbender Playing A Different Character In Alien: Covenant?

Either that or David's had a haircut.

Alien Covenant Ridley Scott Michael Fassbender
20th Century Fox

One of the best things about Prometheus was Michael Fassbender's David, a Lawrence Of Arabia-obsessed android with highly questionable motives and a head ripe for bludgeoning. So it was hardly surprising when he was confirmed to be returning for sort of follow-up Alien: Convenant; his reprisal of the milk-filled robot was a big part of film's initial announcement press release.

Although now it's seeming like he isn't reprising the role after all. Fox have released a new production still that shows Ridley Scott directing while Fassbender watches, and he looks a little different. Gone is the blonde comb-over, replaced with a sleek brown crew cut. Oh, and he's got a proper body, despite being decapitated by an Engineer who'd gone back on the whole "creating humans" thing (boy, Prometheus was weird).

This was always a possibility, but it certainly looks like this is a different David 8 model, which in turn suggests Covenant isn't actually going to explicitly follow on from Prometheus. That fits the title rebranding and the suggestion Noomi Rapace won't be returning, instead reaffirming a bigger focus on tying into the original Alien.

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This will no doubt be music to fans' ears - I quite enjoyed Prometheus, but many were left cold by its Damon Lindelof-influenced obsession with questions over answers - and could make Covenant the movie we all thought we were getting last time. Scott's back on form after The Martian, so I'm pretty amped for this one regardless.

Alien: Covenant is in cinemas on 4th August 2017.

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Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.