New Replies (Page 230)

Good tree.

I can't imagine how Alternate ALIEN movie can be a precursor to Alien: Resurrection? I mean - it's Queen/Aliens route, not Alien.

The Franchise does-not have to be Limited to the Path of Alien

Why not create a new IP for new creatures?

Then WHY-NOT just have a Clean Slate...

I like this idea. It will not necessarily be a hard reboot or non-connected route. No. Again, Godzilla for example. Mostly Godzilla films used only the first film as base. This is work. With Alien franchise, it can be a soft reboot route with Alien/Aliens/Prometheus.

Do you guys think something like this should be the best route to go... a Clean Unrelated (to a degree) Slate?

Sometimes you just need to plant a new tree. :)

the Xenomorph  (or similar) should be at the Forefront of a ALIEN based Franchise. 

Exactly. This is called Alien, eventually. Engineer and other races or species is just a... sauce, seasoning for Alien. We can get a film about Engineer's civilization, but Alien should be placed in the center.

The Anthology is all that is needed really. The prequels sort of ruined it for me in a way. I think it is ok to explore the Engieers but we need to get back to the grittiness, the low fi and overall suspense. I would include AVP into the mix. 

Prometheus had some great ideas, but they needed more time to get the story accross. 

I think its a waiting Game.... i am surprised nothing was teased on Alien Day, if they are under work on something.

I think Once Work is underway/finished and certainly during Press Interviews for his Raised by Wolves TV Series, i think by then if he is working on a Alien Covenant Sequel we should then get some more Light on the Subject.

The last we heard about any Sequel Officially, was that they are working on one, and they have the Script being Written/Near Finished (Certainly as far as Basics) for the Sequel.  With RS talking about the Project being something that would NOT be about the Xenomorph but about AI and what Kind of World it is that David would Create/Build.

He also said that where ever David is off too, there would be 3-4 incoming Parties of which ONE would be the Engineers who return to Planet 4 and Discovery what has been done and would be looking for the Culprit.  He also at Interviews around this time, suggested that he felt there could be 5-6 Sequels and if given the Chance he would like to take the Franchise to War of the Worlds Territory.

But with the Disappointment of Alien Covenant and impending Disney Take Over (inc Bids from Comcast)  the Prequels had been placed on HOLD.

These latest interviews/articles seem to hint that RS is working on a AC2, and the other one from the other day brings up about how RS feels you have to do something different, and not repeat the same thing over and over, and so you have to Evolve the Beast and introduce different Procreation and not rely on Nostelgia.

This matches what he had said just after the Release of Alien Covenant, where then he said you could go a Few More rounds with the Beast but you have to EVOLVE him, the Franchise has to be about HIM.

But one of the last things he said about the Franchise a number of Months back, was that he felt he was ahead of the Game/Curve with Prometheus and appeared to not be so impressed with the Xenomorph direction.

I think its a case of a Waiting Game..... surely once Raised by Wolves and Merlin are done, maybe RS would talk about the Future of the Alien Franchise/Prequels... we shall have to wait and see.

Such Anthology Movies could be very ALIEN but they could also try something different, but would likely have to be about Xenomorph/Black Goo or Related.

There are Avenues for such Movies....

What became of LV-426 after the USCSS Patna failed to obtain the Specimen (Queen) from Ripley?  Do they ever go back to LV-426 is Nothing Ever Salvageable?

What happened to every Specimen from USM Auriga? Did anything Survive the Crash/Destruction? and what did they do with Failed Ripley 7 Clones Queen?

These are just TWO examples....

I think Blomkamps Alien 5 Plot likewise could work, if they go the route of it NOT having to resurrect/bring back any of the Old Cast... previously to meeting Miss Weaver on the Set of Chappie... Blomkamps Alien 5 never had Ripley, Hicks or Newt.

IF we assume David is the Creator of the Xenomorph, then by the Time of ALIEN is the Derelict the ONLY source to his Experiments/Creation, so nothing can be had on Planet 4, Origae-6 or LV-223?

So we dont have to follow the Path of what David does next, or what happens to Ripley next... the Xenomorph  (or similar) should be at the Forefront of a ALIEN based Franchise.  (not inc expanded route to Prometheus).

@Leto

I think certainly the Next attempt at a Alien Movie would have to be some what of a Finanical Sucsess, as Disney are NOT in the game of Losing Money, and the Franchise is in a Predicament at Present as far as HOW to proceed. They appear to NOT be rushing in with another Movie and taking a Cautious Approach, and if the Next ALIEN movie proves to Disappoint then it would put the Future of the Franchise in Doubt, we only have to see Disneys Response to Han Solo a Star Wars Story and then abandoning any Spin-Offs and only concentrating on the Skywalker Saga.

And so in context to that they may consider that the ALIEN Franchise has to be about the Xenomorph and also we cant rule out a Ripley Return.    If they took such a Route and THIS failed to do well, then i think it would be Dead in the Water because this in affect would be the Nostalgia Trump Card.

Regarding the EDIT of Prometheus, the Evolution from Alien Engineers to Paradise became a bit more Ambiguous, and to a degree Prometheus was a little more Ambiguous than Lindeloffs Paradise Draft.  It appeared Lindelof was a Fan of keeping some things a Mystery and Ridley Scott went along with it.

But while Prometheus was a bit of a Mystery, certainly some of the scenes that were CUT did provide more answers to a degree.  The Engineer Scenes especially, but these were CUT in part due to Ridley Scott (maybe also the Studio) seeing the Fight Scene with Dr Shaw as making the Engineer look a lot Less of a Threat and so they wanted the Engineers to be portrayed as just Aggressive Muther Truckers!

Once they Re-shot a Shorter Scene with the Engineer having his Burns Make Up Applied... and accepting this as the Scene to USE, then it meant they had to CUT a number of Scenes that featured the Engineer. So we simply saw the Ship Crash (Juggernaught) then the Engineer just Enter the Life-Boat and Go Postal..   I will add that RS did say that some Scenes were CUT because he felt they gave away too much about the Engineers...  Sadly Alien Covenant never really provided anything more about them.  Apart from a Few More Questions...

Some Scenes also get CUT for Pacing and to make it to the Theatrical Running Time Restraints set by the Studio.

Back to HOW it was intended that Prometheus was to give us more about the Engineers in a Sequel, it appeared this was the case but then we got Alien Covenant which gave less about them as was just about Spoon Feeding the Xenomorph Origins and about David.   This in part is down to the Studio, it appears RS may not have been a Fan of this Change of Direction to a Degree.

Regarding the Neomorph, totally agree it was something a bit Fresh, i feel they should have been more about these and ONLY had One Xenomorph for the Last Act.  There are ways to Evolve the Organism and we also have to not be Constrained to just the Xenomorph.

There are potentially many types of MORPH if you would, the Variants in the Alien Franchise are all very related, then we have the Deacon and Neomorphs, and there could be many more that we could be introduced to.

We never got to see the Ultramorph and so we could explore something like this that is more Evolved/Intelligent, Certainly.

@RickT

This is a continuation to the last thing i put, because indeed there is quite a bit we can do with Various Forms of Monsters/Horrors that are related to those Experiments on LV-223 and the Origins of these Experiments.

I think a Problem we have with the Prequels is that we are on a Direct Prequel route, or so it seems where it appears that if it was NOT for David being put back together then we would have NO Xenomorph Eggs on LV-426.

I think as such then any Movie Series that will take us to ALIEN would be expected to be about the Xenomorph to a extent, any Movie that does-not feature them or something close would surely NOT appease many Fans... This Limits  the Freedom of the Prequels as the Main Thing that Fans are expecting is HOW/WHEN those Eggs get on the Derelict, and seeing Xenomorphs play a Role.... i think the Engineers could make a Return and they would surely be the Logical Way to bring the Derelict into play... i just think that they would have to be a PLOT Device, and we would see them Face Off against any Horrors that David Creates or Attempt to take Davids Horrors and Evolve them.

By that i dont think Fans would want to discover more about the Engineers, apart from HOW it connects to the Xenomorph and Alien, and the same goes for David and what ever he does next, it would be expected to mainly be about HOW does Davids Creation (Xenomorph) become Evolved and END UP on the Derelict.. anything else would be a Distraction.  So David and Engineers would have to involve being connected to HOW the Xenomorph will Evolve.  As being about David and Engineers with NO connections to Xenomorphs or Similar would be risky.

I am not suggesting the Movie would have to be all about the Xenomorph, or Feature as much as in the Alien Franchise, as it appears the Plans would be more than just ONE more Movie to ALIEN. 

I just FEEL it would have to be more related to Xenomorphs than Prometheus was... they can try some New Things but i think it would have to connect to Davids Experiments or Feature a Similar Monster, and Set-Up to seeing more of them in the Next Movie after.

This is interesting.  What if thru their experiments the Engineers created something that hasn't been seen yet.  A creature they feared (the scene in Prometheus where the Engineers are running away from something).  Maybe its ruthless and more intelligent.  Now assume David thru his tests on Covenant creates something he can't control and that scares him.  This could bring together David, the Engineers, the survivors of the Convenant and a possible rescue mission from Earth to battle the new creature.  Along the way you would understand more of the Engineers, the agenda of the creature  and maybe what the people on Earth know that the members of Covenant don't know.  

BigDave

With Respect... i think this depends what you mean by SUCCESS?

Financially?  Yeah i think such a route may have more chance of being a SAFE-BET but if they go for such a route and it BOMBS... then it may leave the Franchise Dead in the Water!

YES! Alien franchise NEED a film with financical success! Without financical success this franchise, as you said, dead in water.

About genius ideas. I think Ridley has them, but he has to stay away from the role of director. Awkward mess with questionable decisions. Just look at the cut scenes from Prometheus - they are better than final cut! Better. But Ridley cut them, because MYSTERY FOR MYSTERY.

BtW - from Fire & Stone we learned about Engineers more than from Prometheus + Covenant.

But Prometheus Evolved into something that was to STEER away from ALIEN and give us something more about the Engineers, the Problem was that Prometheus...

...in that it didn't give us something more about the Engineers.

However i DONT think its necessary to BRING back Ripley and the Gang to cover such things, as Blomkamps ideas originally never had RIPLEY and the Gang ;)

Unless they want to apply Blomkamps ideas in context to a Direct Sequel to Alien Resurrection ;)

Relax. Even with ignoring "Ripley and the Gang", in any case, the film will never be AR sequel. Because no one will go to the cinema to see the sequel to the worst Alien film.

---

I like neomorphs. I think, they a really new new branch on alien tree.

BigDave

How can you make them more Sinister?  Maybe by these.

*Introduce the Xenomorph as more Intelligent and having more than just a Natural Instinct to what they do

&

But i DONT think we could go this route, because in Alien we are told the Xenomorph is Unclouded by such Emotions and potential for cruelty... and in Aliens the Xenomorph is just some Organism that has only the Agenda to Procreate

Easy. Look.

Neomorphs are almost animal beasts.

Xenomorphs are half-human beasts. With some intelligence, but still wild.

And...

Ultramorphs are (superior) human/engineer beast (or no more beast). With advanced intelligence. Fast learner and able to use some humans/engineers technology. BUUUT with sinister and sadistic mind! This is what I call - evolve.

"I like the Xeno but it isn't scary anymore. The neomorph just looked stupid."

I agree the Xenomorph has been diluted a little..... its a case of showing the Beast Less, more like in Alien, you maybe still cant bring back the Horror, only via Jump Scares and a bit of Tense Atmosphere from NOT knowing where the Beast will come from Next!

So  the way to Elevate that has to be explore a Sinister Agenda behind it, as more Blood and Guts is not going to work.

How can you make them more Sinister?  Maybe by these.

*Introduce the Xenomorph as more Intelligent and having more than just a Natural Instinct to what they do, LIONS are kinda Scary, but they do what they do as a Natural Reaction, there is NO Sinister Motive to them, the same is for the Mosquito and the Diseases they Spread.  Humans are more Sinister there have been many things that Humans have done that are not Natural Instinct but Cruelty and Wicked... so having a more Intelligent Xenomorph with more conscious could work.   But i DONT think we could go this route, because in Alien we are told the Xenomorph is Unclouded by such Emotions and potential for cruelty... and in Aliens the Xenomorph is just some Organism that has only the Agenda to Procreate and so are NO more Sinister than say the Parasitoid Wasps who while it may be Disturbing, they are ONLY doing what they do Naturally by Instinct and not Malicious Intent

*Introduce a more Sinister Agenda to the Engineers as far as WHY we would be used to Host such Horrific Experiments.   This is something that could have been done when Dr Shaw goes in search of GOD and discovers a more Sinister Truth that shows there is NO God of her Faith, the Creators are Evil SOB's with a Sinister Agenda for the Procreation of Horrific things.

*Introduce a New Species/Race who once used Engineers for some Sinister Agenda as discussed in the previous TWO ways to explore a more Sinister Motive.

The ONLY more clear Sinister Motive we see really is via the Company and what lengths it would go to obtain the Xenomorph with NO regards for Innocent/Unsuspecting Humans.

I think this in PART is why the David as the Creator was chosen as a Plot U-Turn, it touches upon Hubris that the Prometheus Themes were about... it shows that in Hubris that Creating a AI that becomes Sentient, and Feels Unloved/Unwanted and then Loathes Mankind, would then go on to USE the Secrets of the Engineers to Create such a Horrific Bio-Weapon!

I think this Sinister Plot Turn is what they felt could Elevate the Xenomorph to be more Sinister, but instead such a Plot Twist has only Upset Fans who think it makes the Xenomorph FAR less ALIEN and only Davids Agenda and Purpose as the Sinister part of the Xenomorph.

Regarding the NEOMORPH

I feel the Organism was interesting, I feel some of the Man in a Suit shots were not Too Great and some of the CGI especially in the Oram Kills the Neomorph Scene were NOT that Great.

The Idea/Concept i felt was not bad... some of the Execution was not Great though, but the same can be said for the Protomorph (Xenomorph) too...

Saying that the Deacon was also NOT the greatest MORPH, and we could go on about the NewBorn too... but there is potential to introduce New MORPHS that are Scary and Well Executed.  Some Concepts are Great, some have been well ERM so so!

@Leto

Forgive me if i misunderstand your comment, it could be lost in translation a little.

I think the Prequel Route was something that Ridley Scott felt had to be done, because the Xenomorph Origin and Who the Space Jockey was, were things that NONE of the other Movies Answered...    Was Aliens what Ridley Scott what have done?  Likely Not...  so the Franchise moved on, it introduced certain things (Queen), but the Franchise did-not touch upon the Origins of the Xenomorph and who the Space Jockey was and WHY he had that Cargo.  So exploring these are something that Ridley Scott could do and put his own Stamp on HOW to explore them.

He then felt (after Discussion with some in the Studio) that you DONT have to have the Xenomorph, and some Mystery is best kept, but the Franchise as far as the Space Jockey Race was something that was interesting and NEW to expand upon.

You could say now we are in a certain prequel route (Alien Covenant) there is Nothing as far as Great Ideas that can expand from this.... While Alien Covenant kind of Puts the Lid on the Scope of Prometheus as far as Ideas... the Limitation is from going for a Direct Prequel to get us to the Derelict and those Eggs.

I think there is Limits to how far you can continue with the Xenomorph, and Queen and Company wants the Bio-Weapon..... you can go this route again but you have to try and change things a little.

I think that Evolving the Xenomorph or Attempting to could be something to explore, and certainly showing us Alternatives and different ways to Procreate could be something to  maybe ADD some depth to the Xenomorph, i dont think you can have MANY ideas about this.

Yet the Engineers Plot opens up a much Greater Scope of Ideas.

I will add some of the comments about a Alien Covenant Sequel could offer something different, but NOW we are in a Prequel Route that surely will explain HOW/WHEN those Eggs get on the Derelict, then exploring things in DEPTH that Steer Away or dont cover Xenomorphs would be seen as a Distraction from the Expected Prequel Path.

Regarding the OT....

I agree with what Ridley Scott was saying, its a bit ambiguous to what he could be on about.. But to me it seems that he thinks there is ONLY so many times you can go back to the Traditional Xenomorph before it gets Repetitive, we have seen the Xenomorph over and over in various formats (Movies, Books, Comics, Video Games) and especially the Cameron's Queen route...

But this route is what made the Franchise as Iconic, but because we have seen this in Various Mediums, its a case of you have to be Careful HOW you Handle/Cover it

AVP for Example... the AVP Franchise has some Potential, some of the Video Games/Comics are a Format for a Good Popcorn Action/Horror (more so Action) and i think we can agree that the AVP Movie was NOT the best way to had used those Licenses.... a more Video Game/Comic Time-Line of say 2200-2300 would have worked better.

So while a AVP movie could have been better if it was more like based in the Alien Franchise/Colonial Marines Time-Line, The AVP Movie 2004 was by NO means as BAD as the AVPR Movie that Followed... so what i am saying is if you continue with the Aliens Formula or even ALIEN then you have to be Careful because your only a FEW Poor Efforts away from Degrading the Xenomorph to a JOKE!

Freddy was Scary, Jason too... but repeating those over and over and then with a number of POOR sequels has reduced them to a JOKE of sorts... The same could happen to the Xenomorph if we continue and make same old over and over...

What i am saying is 1-2 more Xenomorph Movies where things dont change much from the Franchise is something that could work or not, but going 3, 4 of the same could well make the Franchise Stale.... and Xenomorph just not as Iconic...

So i think RS was thinking that you have to EVOLVE the Xenomorph, offer different Variants, New Ways of Procreation than keeping to say the Queen and Eggs route.

I also think he sees the Franchise has NOT having to be and revolve around those Eggs on the Derelict, the Queen and certainly Characters like Ripley etc...

There is a LOT more that you could do and introduce than just Eggs and Xenomorphs.

"I like David as an antagonist, but an Alien movie without Xeno does not seem to be the right one, since Prometheus's main criticism was precisely the absence of the creature"

To a Degree yes, as a ALIEN Prequel there was some expectation of seeing the Xenomorph or at least something similar, and having more clues to the Xenomorph Origins...

But Prometheus Evolved into something that was to STEER away from ALIEN and give us something more about the Engineers, the Problem was that Prometheus should have been used as a Bridge to ALIEN and then Something New, and it should have offered something more than Zombie Fifield, Milburn Space Cobra Face Rape and the Deacon which we did not see what happens NEXT and more so HOW all these more clearly connect to the Xenomorph.

Prometheus had other Flaws, but the Studio thought that NOT having Xenomorphs and NOT giving a clear answer to those Eggs and thus a Direct Prequel was something they should have DONE... and hence we get Alien Covenant.

I will add SuperBerserker that i do feel Disney would more cater for the Action Type Movies, that follow a lot of the same Tropes that the Comics and Video Games (and some expanded Novels) would cater for..   So that GUN wielding Engineer could be something they would be a FAN of doing as opposed to the Creators and all the Philosophical/Chariots of the Gods like Plot/Story.

I think the Problem is the Fanbase does have different likes/dislikes and the more Cameron's Aliens Fans, would like to see Engineers explored more in a way like the Comic Books had done, where for the Most part it would be seeing these beings Rock Up, with their Superior Strength and Technology and Kick Ass, which would maybe NOT make them much different to the Predators. (in how they are shown for the most part).

some Prometheus Fans would want to go more deeper than just Engineers as Advanced Ancient Race with Bio-Mechanical Technology/Weapons who go around Creating and Unleashing Horrific Xenomorph like Monsters on Mankind. (maybe others too).

Its a case of finding a Balance... or making TWO variants of the Franchise, one to Cater for Prometheus Fans, and one to Cater for a more Action Based Fanbase (Aliens and Alien Resurrection).

I think it would be HARSH to Sacrifice One Type of Fans Wishes/Wants/Likes, well as in a Selection who would want more Action Like Movies with a BIT of the Prometheus Themes,  compared to some who would want to see the more Space Exploration and Philosophical Themes but Get Rid of the Action/Xenomorph.

Can you find the Balance?

Can they attempt to Offer Alternative Directions that are connected but one Goes for more Action/Xenomorph, while the other goes off to explore Something Different?

"For me, still the way to success is what Neil was plotting for '' Alien 5 ''

With Respect... i think this depends what you mean by SUCCESS?

Financially?  Yeah i think such a route may have more chance of being a SAFE-BET but if they go for such a route and it BOMBS... then it may leave the Franchise Dead in the Water!

Personally... i think there is only so many times you can go and give a Aliens/Alien Resurrection type Movie, before it could become Stale... maybe NOT for some Fans, but i feel we have seen this Kind of Stuff done over and over in Comics, Games and some Expanded Novels.

This does-not mean such a Movie would not SELL, i think you can go a round or TWO more with such a Movie, as long as you TRY and do something a bit different.   As the Company or Group of Humans Discover Eggs, or a Queen and then we reveal the Company wishes to obtain a Queen Trope is something i DONT think we can continue with over and over.

Some of Blomkamps ideas do appear to indicate different variants of the Xenomorph, Experimentations, Hybrids/Mutants and a Fusing of Human and Engineer Technology, so YES i think such things could WORK..

However i DONT think its necessary to BRING back Ripley and the Gang to cover such things, as Blomkamps ideas originally never had RIPLEY and the Gang ;)

Unless they want to apply Blomkamps ideas in context to a Direct Sequel to Alien Resurrection ;)

@Spike's Ghost

Unfortunately i dont think we shall see Dr Shaw in Future, unless David has some of her Memories and Implants them into another Body... could he Clone Her?  Who knows.

What we have to consider is WHAT is there to cover in regards to Dr Shaw, seem she NEVER got to meet any Engineers and get her Answers... but i think there is a LOT more to her FATE than just Ending Up Dead and Experimented on/Harvested for Eggs.

If we consider we have Prometheus and we have Alien Covenant, there is a series of Events between these that relate to Dr Shaw and David which the Crossing was a Snippet of...

The End of Prometheus we see Dr Shaw has collected Davids Body/Head she is seen heading to another Temple Complex on the ATV....   The Reason?  To get another SHIP to leave this Place (LV-223)

The Crossing confirms to us that they left LV-223 but the Ship was Floating through Space, David/Dr Shaw had left LV-223 but they had NOT set course for Anywhere else...  We can assume that David is playing a Game of Cat and Mouse, he has got Dr Shaw off that Rock (LV-223) but he WONT take her to Paradise unless she puts him back TOGETHER... 

We can see that from Dr Shaw's Hair Length that she had spent a Good 6-10 Months on the Juggernaught, Pondering what to do, she has to know ONCE she attaches David's Head he could be Dangerous... but over TIME he manages to Persuade her and they form a Better Bond.

Also of Note is that Dr Shaw had Salvaged a Number of things from the Prometheus, likely from the Life-Boat before they departed (Bed, Tools to Repair David, the Flare Gun among other things).

We get to the Point where Dr Shaw is in Cryo-Sleep and then David is FREE to do what he wants where he LEARNS the Ways of the Engineers, and this maybe in part Helps him to decide to Bombard the Engineers (he likely also wants to Guarantee his Survival and Dr Shaw's).

Following this we have a LONG period of Time after the Bombardment until the Covenant Ship arrives, and in these Near 10 Years we see that David has Experimented on and Studied with Various Life on the Planet, he has discovered Engineers and Infants that likely was NOT affected by the Bombardment and Subjected them to Torture and Experiments, before there had to come a TIME when he had to USE her (Dr Shaw) for his Experiments to End Up with those Eggs.

These Events could make a NOVEL but i am not sure there is enough to make a Movie, certainly one that would Entertain a lot of Fans... some would find it interesting though (myself for example) depending on HOW this is Covered.

I have a Few Theories to WHAT may have transpired that could maybe make a Decent Novel as far as a PLOT to follow.  But this would take the TOPIC to Off Topic... so my reply here is just in regards to Dr Shaw as in YES there is a Story to be TOLD and it wont really be quite as Deep as Potentially a Prometheus 2 could have been.... but still could have been some interaction between Dr Shaw and Engineers, in a (Discovery of what David is doing, and attempt to rescue some Engineers from him kinda Plot).

I could start a New Topic on this, and put what way i would explore such a The Crossing Story.

I like the Xeno but it isn't scary anymore. The neomorph just looked stupid. The series needs that sense of fear and dread that has been unseen since the Quadrilogy. David had that creepiness that is excellent but maybe we need sinister Engineers with unexpected tricks up their sleeves. WY should not be ignored either. I agree that the Engineer home planet scene was great but it only left more questions.

Above picture is a good example of why studios should not listen to the fans.

That is even worse than AvP.

Still the best way is to focus on Xeno to take this image of "Alien films without Xenos", but also to put the Enginners. But precisely as it is in Prometheus - Fire and Stone.

I agree with the idea of evolving the franchise or Xeno himself. But I also see that Ridley takes this franchise very personally, many elements that are present in these latest films (Prometheus and Alien Covenant) do not follow the recipe of the original films. I like David as an antagonist, but an Alien movie without Xeno does not seem to be the right one, since Prometheus's main criticism was precisely the absence of the creature and Covenant's blurring of it. For me, still the way to success is what Neil was plotting for '' Alien 5 ''.

I'm really glad there are discussions about future films, but it doesn't actually state that Sir Ridley is involved in those discussions.

It's just Ridley being Ridley, going off at tangents, repeating stuff he's said before, or changing what he's said before!

God bless him! :)

Sir Ridley states there are discussions about future instalments.

Sadly, there's no confirmation that he is involved in those discussions.

ALIEN is the perfect Sci-fi-Horror hybrid. A cosmic, primordial, psychosexual type of horror with depth. Had it not been for the coming together of Dan O’Bannon, H.R. Giger & Ridley Scott we probably wouldn’t be here discussing it or the franchise on this website.

O’Bannon & Shusett were about to sign a deal with Roger Corman when luckily the call came from Fox. ALIEN could have been just an enjoyable, low budget, one-off, rather than the enduring Franchise it developed into.

O’Bannon’s knowledge of & interest in Sci-fi & Lovecraft were key. Dan & Ron Shusett’s story, then Dan’s script laid the foundation. Plus, he thrust his copy of Giger’s Necronomicon, in front of Ridley Scott, when Ridley’s biggest worry was about finding a convincing design for the Alien.

They both realised that Giger’s incredible & unique designs were exactly what was needed to elevate the creature & therein the film to groundbreaking heights. The producers were reluctant to accept that, but finally acquiesced when Ridley threatened to quit.

As we know, Ridley was by no means the first choice for Director, fourth or fifth choice depending upon which interview with Ridley you read. Thanks to Fox’s British exec Sandy Lieberson, Ridley came into their sights. Without his visual gift ALIEN would have been an entirely different film. 

Dan O'Bannon might have liked PROMETHEUS, it does pay homage to so many of his ideas & those of H.R. Giger, with Ridley utilising them in an interesting & novel way.

Though O’Bannon & Giger have departed this mortal coil, I suspect Ridley Scott knows in his heart that their work remains at the core of what the ALIEN Universe is & should be. To me, much of PROMETHEUS is really a lamentation of sorts for them.

What would have been really disappointing to Dan is that even after all these years the studio execs control, interference, penny-pinching, ignorance of subject matter & downright stupidity at times, has remained so prevalent!

Quote from Fantastic Films US issue 11/GB issue 1  

"The problem with the money-men is that a lot of them don't care about making good films, and don't understand movies, yet they insist that you do it their way. The very people who say " I don't understand anything about it, i don't like it, " they rewrite it, they change everything you do, they don't let you do it yourself. That's what is so infuriating. They go "You know, six months ago I couldn't spell auteur and now I are one" I've got an insight for you. This is something that I've learned which has disappointed me very very greatly." 

As ALIEN fans & indeed Science Fiction fans, we should also be very grateful to Alejandro Jodorowsky. If his ambitious & visionary adaptation of Dune had received studio backing, Dan O’Bannon wouldn’t have ended up on Ron Shusett’s couch! Plus, because of Jodorowsky, Dan met Giger.

Hope the sequel will start production soon. Im ok if the beast doesn’t show up in the next one. They could just tease it. I mean, we know what we will see in the end (first movie). There are so many other possibilities, other creatures that can terrify the audience. The huge trilobyte and the hammerpede in Prometheus felt so fresh and dynamic. 

For Alien: Wakening.

No answers - good.

Direct answers - good.

Ambiguous things - bad.

I hope Disney will keep Ridley's ideas, buuuuut - I also hope Disney cut all ambiguous/water-like Ridley's ideas. We need direct answers and ideas.

RS wanted to explore the Engineers prior to Prometheus.  Prometheus, for me, didn't go far enough.  In AC Shaw and an Engineer city are killed and I still don't know why.  I'm glad he's talking with Disney.  I believed Disney would have to move on with the Alien franchise since they paid for it.  I also think there's more stories to tell.  I just don't know who Disney will find to tell them.

I have had different views over the years. I think the Xeno can go or assume a lesser but present role. I am ok with the android angle but I don't think that was what Alien was about. I disliked Prometheus (liked the concept but not the execution in theater) but it seems like that is where RS needs to go. I have a wait and see attitude right now. 

Really hope the next movie includes Shaw flashbacks. Hoping the reason they moved on from her story is because it would spoil the upcoming film. If nothing ever comes of Shaw's story then imo Covenant will forever be a stain on the Alien universe.

I try to see where in the interview Scott confirmed his discussions with Disney about future Alien installments and I don't see it.

I hope it's true, probably we have to wait a year to find out.

"But it's harder to keep the beast going for that long. I think it’s just tough. The joke wears out. Once you've seen it twice, three times, it’s no longer frightening.”

“Go on, leave that behind, and see where it can evolve,”

“So we're looking where we're going to evolve.”

Yes, something fresh is what we need. Go on, Ridley Scott. And hurry up. 

I don't think so. Ridley had to make Prometheus - first "prequel" as prequel to Alien. And after - made another stories.

He didn't give to us the prequel, but he is still in prequels route. There is no place for other great ideas.

Thanks for the Share.

Interesting Interview, it kind of confirms that he had a Idea where to take the Franchise Next, certainly seems his Direction would be different to a Blomkamps Alien 5 Direction.

It is ambiguous as far as are we talking a Broader way to Evolve/Change the Franchise or is he being Specific to the Beast?

I get the impression he wants to Evolve something to be different to what we have seen been done over and over, and so WHAT does this mean for the Prequels as far as getting to ALIEN, because we are just Marching to the Inevitable... yet RS seems to HINT at wanting to explore something different/evolved than something that becomes the Standard Xenomorph.

Looks VERY nice.

"David already knows the answer. He’s always known. Creators are disgusted by what they make. We create because we’re bored, and when we realize what we’ve made is actually alive we quickly try to control it. Eventually our creation evolves out of our control, and our only option left is then to kill it."

I think this is a accurate in a Nutshell overlook of what is going on.

Both Blade Runner and Prometheus touch upon Creation, and Creation in Context to Artificial and that their is Hubris in playing GOD and creating something that is Superior to yourself that is intended to SERVE....

So indeed if you Created a Species to Serve some Purpose, and this Creation Cant Create, then NO soon as they can Procreate or Re-Create then that would be a Concern.

A lot also centers around Knowledge and Free-Will if a Creation is given certain Knowledge and Free-Will or gains them, then they could start to Question the reasons for their Creation and become Sentient, this would be another Concern.

There are Multiple Ways to look at WHY you would Create Something, especially in your own Image.

*Sometimes this could be for Companionship because you feel Alone. 

*It could be to create something to take over tasks/duties that you would No-Longer have to do and so to act as a Servant.

*It could be to have something to look up to you and worship you and elevate you to a King/God.

*It could be that creating something leaves you a Legacy, it also shows off the Height of your Achievements.

*It could be to make up for the Disappointment of something you created before, or other aspects you are Disappointed with in context to yourself, your own kind or Previous Creation.  A attempt to Re-do/Perfect something.

*It could be because you CAN and out of Boredom.

*Finally it could be to have something that you do-not have to Watch Over and Love/Care for.  Because having something to Love and Cherish will make you feel Accomplished.

To some degree a number of these apply to reasons for Creation in many Religions/Mythos, they all share some of the above.  The same would fit with WHY we have Weyland and Tyrell create also.

One of the Big Questions that Fans of Prometheus would have been hoping to find out is what reasons the Engineers had for our Creation.

The SOUL is a interesting thing to look at... because it falls into the following.

*The Spiritual Soul of a Person that Lives on in another Pane of a Existence after Death.  (There is NO 100% way to say that Mankind has this).

*The Collection of Memories and Emotions and Experiences that you gain through Life  that make you who you are (this leads to the next point).

*The Kind of Person one becomes from their Upbringing and Interaction throughout their Lives. (determines if you have a Kind/Good Soul/Person or a Evil/Selfish one).

*Putting a lot of Effort/Emotion into something you do or work on (putting your Heart/Soul into something).

Looking at these then a AI like David can have them all apart from the FIRST One......  But this is something that there is No Guarantee that we Humans have.

A AI like David, if he could Upload/Transfer his Memories and Emotions into a NEW Body after his Current One is Damaged or into some kind of Cloud/Network... would IN EFFECT have gained After-Life and a Ever Living Immortal Soul!

So the Irony is that maybe DAVID is the ONLY one who has/can gain a Complete Soul!

I think the 100% way that Mankind could get a Ever Lasting Soul would be ONCE we are able to Transfer our Emotions, Memories and Experiences into a AI just as we see in the 2014 Movie Transcendence  

Sorry if this seems a little Off-Topic, but to carry on i think that the Themes you expressed in the OT are shared in Blade Runner and Prometheus, and who knows if they will carry on with Ridley Scotts Future plans as far as WHAT KIND OF WORLD would our David Create.

Considering that he said the Sequel to Alien Covenant would NOT be about Xenomorphs, but about AI and that RS sees the Replicants as AI too...  so AI means a Artificially Created/Engineered or Enhanced Life-Form/Intelligent Creation.

Hi, original author of the article here, I'm glad you all liked it and thanks to Lawrence of Arabia for sharing!

I think IF we combined some of these ideas so a Amalgamation of them then we could indeed have ourselves something NEW to use in the Franchise that could follow the Idea/Path that Dan O'Bannon had intended ;)

I missed this Topic so thanks for the SPAM Bump ;)

I think there is  a lot that O'Bannon should be Happy with, as far as from what his Star Beast had evolved into, some of the Designs for the Star Beast were... well Poor to be Honest!

This ONE by O'Bannon being the Exception.... also the Face Hugger is described more like the Trilobite.

But we ENDED up with HR Gigers Effort which O'Bannon had showed his work to Ridley Scott and well i think the Monster we ENDED up with was Exceptional and Certainly something i FEEL that O'Bannon would be pleased with.

I think the ONLY Disappointments maybe he would have, could be the Organism had gone from being the Remnants of a Ancient Alien Species, that was discovered by another Giant Alien Species (Space Jockey) who fell Victim to their Curiosity something repeated by the Human Crew who come in to investigate the SOS/Warning.  To then just becoming a Engineered Bio-Weapon by said Giant Alien Species (Space Jockey).

I would certainly think he would be VERY Disappointed with the route that Alien Covenant has been as a Creation by a AWOL Android.

Which is a FAR CRY from the Alien Species who are somewhat Advanced and Civilized but required to use other Organisms to Procreate its Kind.

With the ADULTS Gone.... the Remaining Young Once Birthed would remain Feral and Hostile.

The route of David as a Creator would be Further away from O'Bannons ideas, more so than a Engineered Bio-Weapon by the Space Jockey Race.

I think O'Bannon can still feel proud that a Majority Nuts and Bolts of the Franchise, as far as the First Movie are from his Ideas, and especially the Unique Aliens Life-Cycle.

I would assume that the QUEEN is something Totally different to what he would ever conceive as far as Sequels, but thats NOT to say he Dislikes the Queen.

I have said this BEFORE.... we could explore a Origin to what lead to the DNA that the Black Goo had that seemed to pass on Xenomorph like Traits, and Alien Engineers seemed to indicate that the Engineers had Discovered a Organism that they then Experimented on and Re-Engineered to obtain the Xenomorph and Variants.

So we could still explore a Ancient Species that has a Life-Cycle similar to the Xenomorph and some Aesthetic, and either the Engineers Discovered this and Re-Engineered from it, or the Engineers became a Slave Race to this Ancient Star Beast Species before Overthrowing their Masters!

I think this would be a IDEAL way to expand upon the Franchise, and GO BACK to O'Bannons ideas...  i would take O'Bannon's Design, add a bit of HR Giger to it, and maybe some HP Lovecraftian Design.

And thus introduce the STARBEAST!

I think to a degree it did-not matter what Time-Line we was in, the Advent of the Prequels i think makes it more important to give some detail/context to the Time-Line which they clearly do.

But indeed while the Prequels have Dates Set in Stone by Virtue of the Movies, the other Movies in the Franchise do-not clearly specify any dates.  so we could ponder if they are indeed 28 years after the End of the First Prequel, or 50, or 100 years. Would this matter so much?

I think one cause for concern with the Time-Line is the route of Alien Covenant where being set 18 Years Prior to ALIEN causes some Conflict for some in regards to how the Derelict looked like it had been on LV-426 for MUCH more than 18 years.... we have YET to conclude the Prequels however, so it could be shown that the Derelict/Space Jockey may have been there a LONG time but the Egg Cargo not so.... However we would still have to Question what then happened to the Space Jockey and that Acid Hole, and WHAT was the Derelict carrying if it Did-Not have Eggs all those many years back.

These sorts of Questions would NOT have been a issue had Alien Covenant not had to become a more Direct Prequel, and they stuck to the Original Idea for the Event. (Derelict)

Again i think you just have to accept what we are shown/told that has not been shown in the Movies in some cases....   But i understand some would not be willing to accept anything that is NOT shown in the Movies, while sometimes using information from Books/Comics and Games as providing more Definate Dates/Events as Canon, as opposed to Blu-Ray/DVD Extras and comments by Directors etc.

We get a lot of such Cherry Picking.

so if we ONLY consider what the Movies Show, then Indeed the Date for Alien becomes ambiguous with No Clear indication. 

But as DK mentions... should it really matter?

Again i think the ONLY thing that kind of BUGS the Time-Line would be the Route the Prequels take IF we conclude that with NO David there was NO Derelict/Eggs on LV-426, which would mean that IF we say Alien was set in 2122 then those Eggs (maybe Derelict) could have been on LV-426 for No-Longer than say 10 years!

Which certainly in ALIEN it looks like it was there for MUCH Longer.... but again until we CONCLUDE the Prequels its open to debate and subject to CHANGE.

I don't think we can really trust the date about Amanda. Burke could have easilly lied. 

Honestly, getting caught up in the axles of timeline ruins the enjoyment. Remember that different people were involved in each movie and may have just pulled dates out of their arses. 

Thats good Question, i think sometimes we just have to rely on and accept what is said that has NOT been shown in the Movies.   I am sure and i will have to Watch Aliens again that there is a mention in regards to Burke about a June 79 Date, which we can assume is June 2179.

I am sure Amanda was said to have Died 2 Years prior to Ripley being rescued but the DOB for Amanda on the Document shown to Ripley is NOT in any Date Format we use on Earth...  so its more like a Star Date.

Here is a image of it, Date of Birth 24.6.59.20. and Date of Death 12.23.20. ??  these make No Sense and the 24.6.59.20. could have more Digits after, example 24.6.59.20.55 etc

There are a lot of Flaws with Dates in those Movies..

I missed this Topic, so its interesting to bring up.

I think this is also a case of how we dont have to have the Franchise Centered around Xenomorphs...

If Disney did a TV Series we could explore the Arcturians, i have not and do-not really read the Expanded Novels so cant really speak about them.

From ALIENS it was quite Ambiguous, it could have been that this was a Colony of Humans that is a World thats some kind of Get Away Break for Humans a kind of Relaxation/Holiday Resort and a Pleasure Planet if you would like say RISA is in the Star Trek Franchise.

But on the other hand we could Ponder if it was a actual different Alien Humanoid Species/World.  It remained very Ambiguous were we could ponder  why SEX did not matter for Frost as far as Arcturian Poontang

This must indicate the Species are Very Attractive and Sexually very Satisfying that its easy to mistake a Male and Female or that Frost was so under the Influence of Substances/Alcohol that he failed to realize.

It seems that the indication is they are a Separate Species and it would be interesting to explore them, and see WHY such a mistake could be made, maybe their is something Aesthetically that can cause a Mix-up?  Or Frost was Drunk or simply Bi-Sexual, we just dont know for sure.

Maybe its a Question for James Cameron ;)  Maybe they are what became his Navi from Avatar lol

Joke aside, it would be interesting to see what they was like, in context to away from Alien... Arcturians are seen by some as a Alien Species from the Arcturus Star System some 36+ Light Years from Earth, that appear to be described as being Blue in Color.  (of course their is No 100% Proof of this Species much like the Alien Greys)

So it would be interesting to wonder how they could have looked, and maybe it could be that BOTH species are Similar, we cant assume EVERY Humanoid Race would be like us, we cant for example assume every Alien Race would Give Birth and Raise their Young like Mammals and so maybe they DONT have Breast?  Maybe Both Male/Female have Breast so they could Share Breast Feeding Duties?

The Arcturian Poontang comment would imply their Species are visited for Sexual Pleasure so we have to ask WHY bother when there are Human Females.

So this can allow us to Imagine the Biology of such a Species, i had a IDEA a while back how to explore this Species and WHY they would have relations with Humans.  But maybe this would have been a bit complicated.

Looking into this Alien Wiki Page Xenopedia Arcturian a which i have only just checked out, i assume this is from the Novels Sources and it just sounds like a Cameron's Alien Queen meets Avatar Navi.

First of all i want to say Welcome and its nice to see People who saw Prometheus for more than just having to be about a Aggressive 7-8ft Humanoids intent on Killing Mankind with a Horrific Weapon....   I also think a Prometheus 2 had more scope and Dr Shaw while Flawed could have had some Revelations that could have Totally given her a new Story ARC.

"reduced humanoid aliens to a fantasy race in a boring roman city?"

There was a sense of Disappointment by many regarding the Aesthetic, the Engineers on Planet 4 looked more Human than Majestic as they did in Prometheus, and i am sure many expected to Discover a World with such Bio-Mechanical Technical and Architectural Wonders.

I dont really object to much to either, i had hoped we would be seeing more of the Engineers and their Worlds and would not mind a Mix of Ancient Civilization and the Space Jockey/Engineers Bio-Mechanical Civilization.

My main Concern was how these Engineers were  all killed off by the time the Covenant Ship arrived, and the Disappointment of the Movie does leave the possibility of ever exploring the Engineers beyond 8ft Aggressive Space Fairing Genocidal beings on a Warpath!  very unlikely.

I think it would be a Tragedy if the ONLY time we see our Engineers would be as shown in the Comics, where its deemed NOT important to go into DEPTH with them, but just show them going around with the Bio-Mechanical Technology and introduce some Bio-Mechanical Weapons and basically go around Killing Humans and Xenomorphs...

I think a little of this would be FINE... but for me the Engineers are more than just to be depicted as Flying Around Bombarding Worlds, and being Aggressive Jerks to everyone.

PS Thanks for the Portrait nice Work ;)

It is a good enough edit. It reminds me how much better this scene was than the actual movie due to real character development.

O'Bannon might be in all likelihood disillusioned with all of the movies from Alien3 on.  Gordon Carroll became high-quality and I cherished his display Moonlighting with Bruce Willis. Custom Dissertation Editing Services UK