Script or no script, that is the question ... a Machiavellian farce (?)

It appears that we have a bit of a conflict as Ridley Scott said it never had a script, but then he said something about only a 10 Page Pitch and so who knows how much of a draft was done, i will assume RS was correct in that it was just a 10 Page Total Plot and Story that would have needed fleshing out into a actual 110-125 Page Draft.

I think Ultimately FOX does not have the confidence in its Sci-Fi Franchises to had bank rolled TWO movies and having TWO movies would have maybe had one movie stepping on the Toes of the Other.

RS was very passionate about getting his Alien Prequels complete and also in doing a Prometheus Sequel, he as well as FOX would have felt that if they went for a Prometheus 2 that was not going to be covering Aliens, and within the same kind of period  so say 2017-2018 release there would have been a Alien 5 with Ripley and Aliens... they would have worried if Fans wanted Alien 5 more, it could effect the Turn-out at the Box Office for Ridley Scotts Prometheus Sequel.

I will assume they liked some of the ideas in Blomkamps Idea's and they would have felt that maybe introducing the Xenomorph back onto it was what is needed... and so they had in effect Put Blomkamps Alien 5 on indefinite Hold while they re-wrote the Prometheus Sequel to be more of a Alien Prequel.

This is where we are at NOW.

Alien Covenant has not gone down to well, FOX did not back the movie enough and the budget compared to Prometheus with taking Inflation into account was about $50M short and i think this really showed...  Ideally a movie that increased the Budget of Prometheus would have been better but instead we got a $50M less Budget (with inflation).

So this shows FOX is not really keen on taking Big $$$ Gambles with its Alien Franchise, and with how AC has not done as well as expected...

I think while FOX have kind of committed to a sequel to AC, because the Questions still need answering and AC has set up for a Sequel...  I think this SPELLS THE END of any chance of Blomkamps Alien 5.

FOX will not invest $$$$$$ in doing a AC sequel and a Aliens Sequel... they will now play it even more Safe and i think they will go for Alien Awakening and push this to give us more answers and then depending how this Movie does.

Will determine how the Franchise goes from now on, because i feel Alien Awakening has to do very well before FOX would ever consider doing another movie after... 

And as time goes on and FOX wont be wanting to Produce multiple Alien Movies over the next 5-6 years (i think they will see how AA does before they commit to another)  and so as time goes on, the likely hood of seeing a Miss Weaver in a Alien Movie is unlikely within the next 5 years IMO

Which then we have to consider her AGE....

But not to forget, that FOX could panic and maybe consider bringing Ripley Connection and Miss Weaver into the FOLD if they think this would make a movie make more $$$$

But while RS has big plans 4-6 movies, i really cant see FOX prepared to Gamble on this... the Low Budget for AC is a fine example and now the movie did not do to well.

Do they learn from this and increase the Budget? or play it safe and pop out another lower budget sequel

I will say now... THAT THE NEXT MOVIE..... will be the Most Important in the FRANCHISE as far as FOX goes.. and by that i mean the next one is going to be a Sink/Swim for the Franchise.

Big Dave= I have to disagree with you almost completely about the production budget- Ridley was going to insert this (imho) terrible and pretentious dialogue wether he had 100 or 200 million bucks. On top of that AC still would have been David,David, Android Show. Maybe Ridley was mad about the budget and set out to upset loyal fans, jk. However, Fox was very right in choosing Ridley's tale over Blomkamp at the time for Neil has been lost in the woods imo. Now, Ridley is in the doghouse for my feelings and I hope somebody/anybody gets a chance to shine with proper supervision. Is Brandywine NOT have any talent to ensure a coherent product? Milton's Paradise Lost is a bold ideal but it HAS to be done expertly and Ridley just missed the target by a mile. Intelligent and immersive characters don't require a !passive budget-see Shakespeare! Those characters in Covenant are not going to age like the ones in BladeRunner 

@Capt Torgo

Pretty sure nobody thought the same when Blade Runner initially came out either. 

As for the script, I don't know. I think many things indicate that the whole social media campaign relating to the Oats studio and the hetz toward Alien Covenant could've been something deliberately created, but at the same time it might just be a spontaneous thing, one of many bubbles on social media. 

I think indeed Budget would not affect the Story and i agree the Plot Changes are nothing to do with the Budget, i just feel a bigger Budget would have helped to improve certain things.

I think he Budget to me showed FOX having a bit of reservations to the Franchisee and not willing to back it with as high a budget as Prometheus was.. which is a shame... not only Budget wise but i think it shows FOX have had a lot of say in what to Change as far as Prometheus 2

The same thing happened with Spaights Alien: Engineers, it appears FOX was the ones who wanted to cut back the Xenomorph elements and RS was pleased with Spaights draft but then agreed with FOX that maybe we dont need to include Xenomorphs everywhere....

I think FOX had seen some criticisms with Prometheus and saw how the Fans was really digging Blomkamps return to the Alien Franchise for Ripley.