As Chappie nears its theatrical release, director Neill Blomkamp has been making the press rounds to promote it. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Neill dives a bit into to his recently announced, upcoming Alien project with 20th Century Fox! Suffice to say, Blomkamp is just as hyped up and excited for this film, as us fans are. Read on for his quotes about Alien 5 from the interview.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So how did you arrive at wanting to do this Alien movie? And did it have anything to do with having Sigourney Weaver play a supporting part in Chappie?
NEILL BLOMKAMP: It did have to do with having Sigourney onChappie. It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to one day be a part of. Those first two [Alien] films are probably my favorite films ever made. I didn’t know if it would ever happen. I just always wanted to participate in it if I was able to.
Over the years, I came up with a story for a film in that universe that I wanted to make. And then when I talked to her about her experience making those films and what she thought about Ripley and everything else, it informed and changed the film I wanted to make into something different.
It just sort of stuck with me. A year later, when post-production was winding down on Chappie, I started fleshing out the idea for a film that would contain Sigourney. Fox never knew. I just worked on it when I could. Before I knew it, I had this really awesome film with a lot of artwork and a lot of backstory. And then I didn’t know whether I was going to make it or not. So I just kind of sat on it for a while.
You mean, you showed your treatment to Fox and they sat on it?
No, Fox was keen from the moment I showed it to them. They didn’t even know I was working on it. I just wanted to make sure that—any big studio film, I want to know that it’s the right choice for me. So I just kind of sat on it for a while.
I would imagine after the Halo experience, you’d be wary of joining a big franchise like that. Plus, it seems like you personally get frustrated with the whole Hollywood studio system. So something like this could have the potential to really aggravate you.
Yeah, but it feels cool now. So far, Fox seems really, really cool. So I’m really excited. The movie itself is so wicked.
So do you have script? A treatment? How far along is it?
Mmm, I can’t say! I can’t get into it too much.
You can read the entire interview over on EW.com. It seems like Fox are eager to give Neill the reigns on this new Alien film - something which will please most Blomkamp and Alien fans alike. In terms of what we can expect to see from Neill's Alien movie, be sure to check out this article we posted last week, which outlines some of the elements which will likely be the focus of this new film's plot.
Neill Blomkamp's Alien film will be released after Ridley Scott's Prometheus 2, which is expected to begin production later this summer. Given that Fox has planned for the Prometheus films to spawn a trilogy, it's likely Neill's Alien 5 will be released in between Prometheus 2 and Prometheus 3. Ridley Scott is also said to be an executive producer on Alien 5 (working title), which means the film will not interfere or contradict any of the events which take place in the Prometheus films - another sigh of relief for fans of both franchises.
For more on Neill Blomkamp's Alien movie, be sure to bookmark this site and keep an eye on Alien5-Movie.com!
Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 project was inevitably canceled following the merger between 20th Century Fox and Disney. Blomkamp had hoped to revive characters Hicks and Ripley for a new film, rewriting the Alien timeline, chalking up Alien 3 and Resurrection to mere bad dreams. Studio executives decided to can the project and instead took the franchise in a new direction, tapping Fede Alvarez to direct Alien: Romulus.
Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 is indefinitely shelved.
