I think this is Good News on ONE Hand, but maybe wont be the News that some would have hoped.
It depends on what Disney Deem is worthy to continue within the Franchise.... and so we cant ASSUME we are going to get a Continuation of the Prequels or anything related to Ridley Scotts Direction. However who knows, we had rumors that Ridley Scott is working on a ALIEN Project, and Emma Watts seemed to be behind the Direction that Ridley Scott wants which is to FINISH the Prequels and to not have any TV Series at Present.
She had said the Franchise was Not Finished and that its a case of finding the RIGHT STORY, and it seemed she indicated that you cant keep going back to the same Tropes/Formula that we saw in the ALIEN Franchise.
But i am concerned that THIS is exactly what Disney wants to see in the Franchise. The ALIEN Franchise would be expected to be about the Xenomorph to some degree or another and i dont think they would want to STEER to far away from that... Neomorph's, Deacon's, Trilobites and Spores are all loosely connected and i feel that DISNEY would want to continue with at LEAST this level of connective tissue if not more Xenomorph Related.
So by NEW Movies maybe we could get a set of movies that are independent of ALIEN and PROMETHEUS but can have some links, but will NOT literally connect to a David's Story or a Ripley's Story. Maybe we could get 2-3 Stand Alone Movies that are not connected/lead to each other so to speak.
They could open up the Franchise so we DONT just have the ARC/Plot that Follows that Fateful Day the Nostromo Crew arrived at LV-426... to the Hadleys Hope Colony being set up on the same World that housed the Derelict and its Cargo, to the Pursuit of Ripley as a Source for the Xenomorph after the Destruction of Hadleys Hope.
The ALIEN Franchise was about that Cargo on the Derelict, and what becomes of it to the point that the Company had tried to get a Queen from Ripley, and then Clone her 200 Years after.
We have to ASSUME they did this because there was NO other Source.... but the Prequels open up the Potential for other Sources of Xenomorph or Related Organisms... i would like to think that each AVENUE that is explored like this will conclude with the Destruction of any Specimens, resulting in the Company eventually having to pursue Ripley.
Likewise we have the Prometheus ARC/PLOT which follows David and how he has used the Secrets of the Engineers and Bio-Weapon Black Goo to Create the Xenomorph that we can ASSUME eventually ends up on the Derelict on LV-426.
But this still opens up a AVENUE to have a Movie or Movies set to explore routes connected/opened up by the Prequels but without actually being set following what David is doing at Present. But again any such Avenues should conclude in a way that would show that NO-MORE Specimens are obtainable from this route... and hence the pursuit of Ripley.
So indeed their is Scope to have a ALIEN movie that is a Parallel Story that is Canon (No Alternative Universe) but i feel any such Movie must have some connective tissue to ALIEN and thus has to be more ALIENY than Prometheus. Eventually such ALIENY movies that can also include the Engineers, may open up more fans to be willing to see further movies about the Engineers that Will-Not have any Connective Tissue/DNA to ALIEN, so even less so than Prometheus.... but we have to engage the Fans who are NOT SOLD on the Engineers with more ALIENY movies that can introduce the Engineers into the Fold.
I do fear HOWEVER... that NEW ALIEN movies could be Alternative Universe Variety, i am concerned they would also go with a Blomkamp Alien 3 Alternative and BRING BACK the Gang from Aliens.
I would like to see a continuation of the Prequels... i think we need a CONCLUSION or at least some Movie in the Aftermath of Origae-6 that will give us more clues to the Xenomorph Cargo on the Derelict's Origins.... OR show us evidence to show that Davids Creations Do-Not get onto the Derelict.
Because as Ridley Scott said, there is only so much Snarling and Chest Busting you can do, and i would also say there is only so much you can do with the RIPLEY Saga.. before we are back to the Drawing Board!
And i think the Space Jockey/Engineers are a Good Starting Point to Return to and Focus on in the FUTURE!