ALIEN: A AWAKENING

>>>"In space no one can hear you  dream." is the TAGLINE

>>>Could they USE the Title Alien: Awakening?

Yes. These things are perfect for each other.

>>>My Questions to everyone are.

1) Alien 3 & Alien: Resurrection.

2) Alien 3 & Alien: Resurrection. xD

3) I'm not obsessed with canon. This is a very fragile concept that really doesn't cost anything. Therefore, I'm open to any retcon.

4) HOW? I'm not sure I understand the point. Do you mean the narrative explanation for the retcon (sort of like Dark Fates) or the technical one? WHAT? Well, anything.

>>>Could they be Considering to USE some of the Ideas from their ALIEN Drafts that were NOT fully used in ALIEN?

I don't think they attach much importance to ideas from 40 years ago. It's time to move on. Especially considering that their idea (The Alien: Cylinder Script) was already a kind used in Alien: Covenant.

I am more than sure that this will be something new. Perhaps it will be similar to Gibson's original plot - the first and the best representation of Alien 3.

I think they should go with a WY story. We haven't seen that yet so it's untapped territory.

Scott is busy with what could be 5 seasons of RBW and that is just fine. 

I think it would be neat to see what his son could do with the WY angle- movie or streaming series.

I think that if you want to catch people’s interest you got to get it right from the beginning. With the prequels being as underwhelming as they are I guess that it isn’t surprising that we have the situation that we have. The problem is that they have both had mostly poorly executed characters and have been about a mad robot. Obviously I repeat myself but if I say that I don’t like something or why a lot of people disagree with something in general I got to give an explanation why that might be.

"We know the Prequels had NOT been to everyone's Cup of Tea."

Tea or coffee depends on the time of the day. ;) It was a box office disappointment because they didn’t learn from Prometheus what people didn’t like.

Hopefully they will be able to do something new. I would prefer a spin-off rather than to have another Ripley-movie or a continuation of the prequels. Unfortunately I think that we would get more David with Scott involved so they need to get him out of the picture sorry for saying it but that is what I think is needed otherwise we will probably get something close to where we are now. Of course we could get a good third prequel but somehow I doubt it. Scott could be on as a producer at best but I am afraid that he would like to influence the story if they are not able to stop him from doing that.

One thing that I would like to see is completely new characters that have nothing to do with those that we have seen this far so no Ripley's cousin, not Daniel's sister, etcetera. Not only new characters but new personalities too or at least not copies, Daniels was too close to Ripley’s personality for example. To try to cut the ties as much as possible with what has been seems to be more exciting if you ask me because then you don’t need to be burdened with what has come before. You can go back and see what has been done before to find inspiration and if you find something where you can use the Engineers let’s say as a starting-point for new things then why not. While getting new ideas there shouldn’t be a need to feel hindered by what has been before although you can find commonalities (think for example Star Wars or Lord of the Rings).

My hope is that Ridley is done, as far as affecting the story and as director of the franchise. He is good with visuals but that’s it. You mention the 40th anniversary but I think that they got to think a lot of where they are now to get it right. I would rather have nothing compared to getting another disappointment.

Give me something new, at least something that isn’t about androids or Ripley.

"What are your thoughts on doing this kind of Retcon?"

That's a difficult question to answer. I'm afraid that they will keep 1 and 2 and erase 3, something that I refuse. Dreams: Erase AC and AR, maybe keep Prometheus but probably not and continue from there because I like how they introduced the Engineers but keep David away or reduce his role. More Engineers would be nice but they got to get them right. An Alien 5 should not erase Alien 3 and have no Ripley, other than that I am open to different things. Erase 2 and go from 1 to 3. ;) Oh I forgot, don’t let it take place on earth. :D To use old ideas, it depends on if they bring something interesting to the story and if they do then sure but I prefer new things. As far as the title is concerned it depends on what Awakening means, I can’t say yes or no to that.

I like the idea of the Engineers so I hope that they keep them in some way but maybe expand on them and explain their society and culture better. Keep them closer to the monster or maybe have something similar to the Engineers but more mysterious. To completely throw that away would be a pity because I like the idea, I don’t like how they were handled especially in AC but they should also have been better explained in Prometheus (for example the sacrificial scene and when the Engineer spoke to Weyland). Unfortunately they were like a lot of other things in Prometheus - good ideas but bad execution. If we don’t keep them then come up with another life-form and how their culture might be. Find a way to expand the franchise but that makes sense and is not too vague.

"WHAT could this ALIEN V show?"

New planets and cultures, new power-players outside of WY let’s say. Different companies because they are always fighting for power/market parts.

>>>I think they should go with a WY story.

Only as a spinn-off tv-show. The very idea that the next 5 years will be spent on a faceless film about the intrigue of suits is completely depressing. Perhaps even the most die-hard fans will leave after three decades of disappointment: A3 & AR in 90's, AvP & AvPR 10's, P&AC in 10's. If the fourth decade comes with a boring wy-suits experiment - well, the end.

But, dk, don't rush to argue with me! I'm only talking about the format of a feature film. Maybe a TV show about costumes is a good idea.

--

>>>RS was HOPEFUL he could Continue with his STORY

This is another thing that we can forget about. Ridley is a busy man. He has a big film schedule. If Disney wants to make (suddenly) a new Alien film, should they wait for Scott to complete all other business? It looks like Ridley is taking his time himself. A similar situation was with Prometheus 2/Covenant. Ridley only started filming AC when Blomkamp's film appeared on the horizon. Which could put his own film at risk. That is why the Covenant turned out like this. Scott had to make this film, otherwise he would have missed out on the franchise. But the most important question: should the FOX / Disney to wait for him? Ridley hasn't been interested in a new movie for about 30 years!

>>>new power-players outside of WY let’s say.

YES! I don't understand why people are stuck with WY. Alien: Isolation took the right step with Seegson. WY is all about bioweapons. It's boring and irrelevant. Bring in a new pharmaceutical mega-corporation chasing the medical potential of the xenomorph and the technology of engineers. THIS IS RELEVANT!

The era of conspiracy, bioweapons and suits ended with X-Files.

"I would rather have nothing compared to getting another disappointment"

I think thats Correct, i think while we GOT no NEWS on ALIEN DAY 2019 this was because there was NO real Movie in the Works and so Indeed if you HAVE NOT got the Right Story and IF you are Concerned to Continue with the Prequels would give you No Reward... then Disney would NOT just make a ALIEN Movie or Announce one just for the Sake of it.  Also you dont want to get Fans hopes up unless something is 100% in the Works.

@Leto

I think Canon should come down to Personal Choice and i think when Blomkamp had touted his Project they had said that it would OFFER a Fork in the Road.

We dont know IF or HOW he would have done that (would he had used Cryo-Dream plot).   But if his ALIEN V had been made and then we got a ALIEN 6 then i think the idea as far as Canon would be that when we get to the END of ALIENS then there would be TWO Alternative Routes for Sequels.

So Fans could either like both or CHOOSE which they wish to Accept.  I Personally dont think you need to do any of this, i think that Ripley had her Journey and so you can go and GIVE us a ALIEN Movie that is NOT Connected to her.

The Prequels  are a Bad Dream for some Fans, i think while there was Potential i think they are at a STICKING POINT now with as FAR as how to Continue.... and so i think what Happens to the Covenant and David could remain a Mystery or more likely in the Context of the ALIEN V then these Prequels could be IGNORED.

And so maybe HINTS could be given to a Different Xenomorph Origin or maybe the WHOLE idea of the Xenomorpm Origins and the SPACE JOCKEY would be just IGNORED and kept a Mystery within Context to any kind of RETCON which is what i think ALIEN V will likely be.

David and Walter had a quite a Fair Share of Involvement and Input on a lot of the Franchise, but with this ALIEN V Project it seems likely that they would have a MAJORITY of the Say on it..... UNLESS its Plot etc is something that Disney are NOT so pleased with or think WONT make Money then the BUCK $ stops with them.

I think regarding the Direction  (assuming the Movie that is in the works is the Hill/Giler Project) it does seem that this IDEA is Anchored on Ripley and so with No Miss Weaver then a LOT of the idea would have to be RE-WRITTEN.

I think that Certainly we would see Alien 3 and Alien R removed as merely a Dream...  The Prequels i think would just be Ignored as if they NEVER Happened.

Maybe i am reading to much into this Quote on the Draft Cover though "All that we see or seem. Is but a dream within a dream"

Which could indicate that we could be shown something that would Question our View (Ripleys) about WHAT is Reality and what is Illusion (Dream).

A Dream within a Dream could but this is just Wild Speculation, but it could indicate that Ripley is Dreaming of the Events of ONE of the Movies and in her Dream she has another Dream which is where Alien 3 and Alien R occur.

So WHAT IF they also indicate that EVERYTHING from after the END of ALIEN is a Dream?

I think that would be a Mistake because to have ALIENS down as a Dream and so the Characters and Queen are just a Figment of Ripleys mere Imagination would be something that would UPSET the Fanbase (well a High %) as the Concept of David as the Creator of the Xenomorph.

A Problem that comes from this kind of Dream Angle is HOW do they deal with HOW our Miss Weaver has Aged since ALIEN and ALIENS.

You would ASSUME in Context to the Cryo-sleep Technology that for her too look like she has aged 20-30 Years we have to ASSUME she would have to be in Cryo-sleep for MUCH MUCH Longer than 40-50 Years.

So maybe a Large Portion of the Movie would be SET some 20-30 Years after she is Rescued from the Narcissus or the Sulaco.

I dont think they would throw a CURVE-BALL to reveal a 60 Year Old Ripley is being Tested on with some Device to IMPLANT a Alternative Reality Dreams and so all the EVENTS of the Franchise are  Dreams.  Because this would make the Xenomorph as just a Illusion.

My kids will be interested with this kind of information. They love aliens!

Leto

I have an idea, you mention pharmaceutical companies. Medicines are something that people might look at as a automatically good thing but what if that company is trying to do something that looks good on the outside and is nasty on the inside in how the company works. This could continue the theme of corporate fuckery but it's another sort of company maybe not in its ultimate aim but in how they look at the outside. Maybe the theme could be that what could be decent people and how they become corrupt when they get into situations or structures where the aim is to just get benefits yourself and screw everyone over even though there are sides of you as an individual that are likable.

What if they have tried different things but that it didn't work but then they get to know that the Xeno could be beneficial for its genetic structure or whatever when it comes to making new medicines. Unfortunately it has a side-effect which they know about but they have put a lot of money into developing it so they want to get money from what they have put into the development of that. As with WY human lives are expendable to quote a famous movie. ;)

I Certainly think you have to look at WHY they would Pursue such a Folly regarding the Xenomorph.

Beyond a Bio-Weapon as they ARE (Invasive Species/Killing Machines) then INDEED there are a Lot of Applications/Traits you could Obtain from the Xenomorph.

Regarding what THIS Project could be about... i think with David Giler and Walter Hill they did seem to have a Interest More in the W-Y Company as far as Agenda and their Role in the Franchise but also regarding A.I too.

Lets just HOPE they dont try and throw us a CURVE-BALL that could be Upsetting to Fans in regards to the ALIEN Franchise being ALIEN... 

For example a W-Y Mind Control Project.

I still think THIS is the Project that is in the Works and in 2022 we will see the ALIEN V see the Day of Light.

It seems that it would be about Ripley and Reveal that some of the Ordeal she has been through are Merely Dreams/Nightmares...  but its a CASE of HOW MANY?

Revealing the Xenomorph is something that DOES-NOT even Exist and is either a Figment of Ripley's Nightmares.... or a Nightmare Vision that Weyland-Yutani would INPUT into Peoples Consciousness would UPSET the Fans just as MUCH as the David was the Creator Plot.

In Space No One can Hear You Rip-Off Dallas & Lost.

I personally have the opinion that anytime you fall back on the 'it was just a dream' idea without some really good ideas involved...you are giving a huge middle-finger to your Fandom.

EG; Dallas with Bobby was an act of sheer desperation, and LOST...well, Lindelof isn't that talented, so he ripped off DALLAS because he wanted a quick and easy/lazy way out.

'It was just a dream' is Simplistic, Lazy and Insulting to a franchise's fandom.

Now, if you do the 'dream' thing, and one then expounds off it as it was a form of foreshadowing, then you're okay...still not doing great though.

THIS however comes far, far too-late in the game for it to be anything but a huge and intentional 'F-You' to the Fandom.

Unless...they use it to launch into a new age, say, Ripley is having 'Dreams' about horrors to come for her daughter, or Grand Daughter, or someone else she is connected to in her life.
Then it fits...Ripley has horrible dreams, and she's out in the interstellar wastes, unable to do anything to help, apart from wake up due to the system detecting significant neural distress, sends a desperate message to Network thinking that 'yeah just bad dreams but at least it'll make me feel better', then all she can do is go back to sleep...
Thus, Continuity is preserved, and a New Storyline can be launched to continue the franchise.

"In Space No One can Hear You Rip-Off Dallas & Lost."

Indeed and the Biggest Problem/Concern with going for such a Plot is it OPENS up the Question of WHAT ELSE do they Reboot?   If you make a Flawed Movie, Kill Off a Character and then Regret it, then to be LAZY and just Reboot with oh its a Dream or any other Plot Device really just ALLOWS for them to NOT come up with Good Writers and Stories.

What if the REALITY Parts of ALIEN V suck?  Do they make a Alien 6 and go well most of ALIEN V was also a Dream?

I think this Franchise Deserves to Maintain some Continuity rather than to be like a BATMAN or SPIDERMAN where we just see a Reboot/Retake like over and over.. it Works for some Franchises.  But i think with ALIEN we can Move On.... by that Ripley had her Journey the Only way Forwards i would like to see that would involve her would be a Continuation after Alien R but your Faced with some Problems with that.

"Ripley is having 'Dreams' about horrors to come for her daughter, or Grand Daughter, or someone else she is connected to in her life"

Never given this Much of a Thought..... Certainly something to Consider ;)  its a Different Take for sure.

So forgive me if i am WRONG... so what you are saying is WHAT IF we have some Alien Movies where we Visit some of the Dreams about Ripley and her Family while she is in Cryo-sleep either on the Narcissus or the Sulaco?

So the EVENTS of these Movies could Happen either between Alien and Aliens or between Aliens and Alien 3 but that Alien 3 does eventually Happen?   The EVENTS are merely Dreams she had....

IF SO then as i said i NEVER gave that a Thought and so i have to APPLAUD you for such a Suggestion ;)

As YES i am sure some people do at Times have Dreams of when they are OLDER and when they are Younger.... and so with such a CURVE-BALL kind of Thinking then that could really OPEN UP the Possibilities for sure... its a Case of would Fans want to Accept such a Story if its something that NEVER REALLY Happens?

I say WHY NOT!

I am sure we all remember the Scene with Ripley in ALIENS when she begins to Chest Burst and the First Time we saw that we may have been WOOOOAH!

But then she WOKE UP..  (we was like Thank God it was a Dream) and this is what Drove her to Accept the Offer from Burke to Face her Demons.

I think its a case of WHAT TIME-LINE does her Dream World take Place, is it a Dream about her in the Past, or Future? Is it about Amanda in the Present, or Future.

The Dream Revelation would Require a Scene to SHOW that she is Dreaming and so they would maybe have to Replicate her Sleeping in ONE of the Cryo-Pods and have to CGI to De-Age her for that Moment....

But YES this could Work ;)

Its a CASE of WHEN does the Dream take Place and WHOM is the Dream about....  

It could be about a Little Girl and you would be thinking  who is THIS... then your Drawn to thinking is this Amanda? as a Child?  But then it could be Ellen as a Child as she is then Chased by Monsters......  Ripley could be LIVING the Horror/Ordeal that NEWT had via a Dream but the Girl in her Dream is NOT to be Newt but it could be her Daughter or a Younger Version of herself. 

she could Dream about the Scene when Burke informs her that Amanda is Dead.....   ONLY when we look at the Photo Etc it is Ellen Ripley who is Dead, then we look at who is looking at the Photo and its  a Older Amanda who wonders WHAT happened to other Mother, then we can Flash Back to some Horror Story about RIPLEY coming to a Horrific End...

You could have a Scene were we have Ripley who is aged 70 with her Granddaughter, telling a Bed Time Story and then we see that Ripley then Chest Bursts in front of her Granddaughter...

But its a CASE of these Individual Stories may not have enough to Expand to make a FULL MOVIE... maybe you could make a FULL MOVIE but you would have to PICK a Certain Time Period for the Dream World and WHO it is about.

Or COULD  a Collection of  Individual Stories that are woven together that are say a Triage of Stories/Dreams (Anthology of Dreams) and so it would be like say the 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie

Would that WORK?

I know the Alien Day 40th Anniversary Collection of Fan Made Shorts certainly WON a lot of People over.

So thanks for that IDEA ;)  It shows WHY you are a Good Writer BWW  i think it would be Interesting to Consider.

BigDave

Short form, I TOTALLY agree with you about the practice of rebooting and lazy/sloppy writing these days. This of course doesn't shock you one bit, I dare say. :D

QUOTE

"Ripley is having 'Dreams' about horrors to come for her daughter, or Grand Daughter, or someone else she is connected to in her life"

Never given this Much of a Thought..... Certainly something to Consider ;)  its a Different Take for sure.

So forgive me if i am WRONG... so what you are saying is WHAT IF we have some Alien Movies where we Visit some of the Dreams about Ripley and her Family while she is in Cryo-sleep either on the Narcissus or the Sulaco?

So the EVENTS of these Movies could Happen either between Alien and Aliens or between Aliens and Alien 3 but that Alien 3 does eventually Happen?   The EVENTS are merely Dreams she had....

IF SO then as i said i NEVER gave that a Thought and so i have to APPLAUD you for such a Suggestion ;)

END QUOTE

EXACTLY the general avenue I was trying to convey, but you took my idea a few steps further and made it Better!!!

Ripley has her dreams, but the Continuity of ALIENS and ALIEN3 do not get disrupted as 57 years is a LONG time for some good stories to happen within.

ALIEN was and will always be an Experimental franchise, and the Fandom is so disappointed with the recycled trash and mediocre formula-based lazy-writing that they might welcome it...if the Continuity is respected and the stories are Good, with good characters and some decent writing.

Also, the Dreams the Ripley is experiencing need not involve The Alien, as she's 'connecting' to blood relatives, thus they could encounter other horrors and Ripley would still 'pick up' on it.

As an idea, the new cycle of films start with showing Narcissus, alone and silent in the dark--akin to the opening of ALIENS, we see Ripley in the capsule, a monitor flicks on, scramble statis, we see Ripley twitch and such even though in hypersleep, and another monitor clicks on...more scramble static, the monitors clear...one is Vital Signs, showing some dangerously high (albeit by Hypersleep standards) and the other monitor...

Well to quote David....

"I've watched your dreams."

From there, we enter the monitor, and visit in upon Amanda Ripley...and then the new story begins as we follow Amanda along as she contends vs. oh...maybe she's been hired by W-Y for a covert salvage op of an Engineer site/structure???

I think if done properly, this would allow a new cycle to open up.

Thank-You!! You're quite welcome and I hope our convo inspires someone, somewhere to help our franchise in an official capacity.

Until then, I'm going to remain in this universe, and do what I can to elevate it out of the pit The Industry has dropped it into and give the Fandom something fun and intelligent to read.

BD:

I wouldn't mind if they would explore that WY-company a bit more but it got to be done in a smart way. Keeping in mind how everything after Alien 3 has been I got to say that I'm a bit worried that it would get ruined. My idea is that the WY bosses would be the bad guys if such a movie would be made. After the prequels I’ve had enough of curve-balls, thank you very much. Not to say that you can’t have surprises but they got to be well-made but I have grown sort of skeptical keeping in mind how everything after Alien 3 have been. I’m almost reacting automatically like “what will they screw up this time?” but if there are writers that know how to make a good story then why not but they got to be good.

The Weyland company could be interesting but I refuse to have it be about AI. Maybe they could have them like robot-assassins (think a more scary version of the assassin in Star Wars 2). Alien V could work as long as they won't involve anything that is connected to Ripley. Hopefully we will see new things and not more Ripley or something related.

You're right with the last paragraph, David as the creator of the monster is bad and showing that the Xeno is just something of a nightmare would be lame. I want it to be unknown, the prequels have cheapened it down enough but it could be worse. They got to add to the Xeno-lore instead of taking away from it like the prequels have done. Maybe there is a way to save it but they got to be smart. My preferred way is that the beginning would be on a planet that we don't know about. Right now we have the black goo but that could be taken into different directions. What's the most important thing for now is to save it from being made by a mad robot which is something that Alien V could show even though the movie in general would be bad. If Scott would still like it to be made by David, then whatever because that got to be changed.

The Alien is The Alien

David's critter is a cheap knock-off.

One of my goals with ALIEN: Manticore and it's sequel is to give The Alien back it's mystique, it's Majeur, it's Power, Mojo and Insidious Appeal.

I will try...more than that, well, all I can do is my best to save The Alien from being dragged down medicority Avenue to has-been dumpyard.

"Alien V could work as long as they won't involve anything that is connected to Ripley"

Totally Agree, by Virtue of the Prequels the Franchise is OPENED UP to Beyond the Confines of the Zeta 2 System.

This Topic was trying to look at what could be meant by the ALIEN V Project that Walter Hill and David Giler are working on.  Certainly seems to be about RIPLEY and Certainly would see some MOVIES are going to be SHOWN to have ONLY been Dreams.

with David and Walter (Producers) their Focus seemed to be more on the Conspiracy/Agenda of the Companies who WISH to obtain the Xenomorph and A.I  it will be Interesting to Discovery what is the FOCUS of their ALIEN V Project.

But the Tag Line "In Space No One Can Hear you Dream" seems to be a Good Indication of the Focus.

I just am NOT sure HOW they going to Pull this Off if we are going to have Quite a LOT of Screen Time with Ripley.

So she will be ALIVE... but then its HOW do they get around that she would be like 30+ Years Older than she was in the Franchise.  It surely could not be PUT DOWN to she has Aged that Much while in Cryo-sleep as we have to ASSUME that while in Cryo-sleep then your Body Ages at a MUCH LOWER RATE.

Lets HOPE they dont go FULL MATRIX!

The Xenomorph has Captured Ripley, she is Cocooned for some Purpose, and the Xenomorph has Implanted a False Life/Memory and Dreams in HER...

Does she AWAKEN to be in some kind of ALIEN like Labyrinth?  Or in a Weyland-Yutani Lab?

Or a Mental Institute?

The Question comes down to WHAT are they going to do with a NEW ALIEN Franchise?

I think the Pickle with the Prequels is that it SEEMED to Steer Away from ALIEN for the Fans, and come down to more about Certain THEMES which we see as a Continuation with David.. and having HIM go and Create the Xenomorph while it FITS those THEMES.  It just is NOT as ALIEN as the Origins we could have IMAGINED before we got the Prequels and we would NOT have Imagined the Prequels to be about Creation/Rebellion Themes that some MAY FEEL should have been KEPT to say Blade Runner.

I doubt this ALIEN V would be much about those THEMES, well i dont think it would be much Connected it at ALL to the Prequels.

so its OK and WHAT do they think the ALIEN Franchise would NEED AGAIN?

It seems that is RIPLEY.... and then WHAT?

We have to ASSUME it will be the Xenomorph again, but i AGREE 100% with Ridley Scott on this, there would be ONLY so much Egg Laying, Face Raping, Chest Bursting and Snarling that you can do..... BEFORE it gets Stale, Cooked or a Joke!

You would have to EVOLVE it, Change either it Aesthetically a Bit, what it can DO, or Uplift them Beyond basically being Space Ants/Termites/Rodents.

Or you look into WHAT it is that the Company can Finally do when they OBTAIN a Specimen beyond seeing it GET OUT OF CONTROL ;)

The Prequels gave the Franchise more LEGS to Stand On and more to Explore, but it was NOT really Executed to the Potential (thanks to AC in Part).  If the Prequels are to be IGNORED then its a CASE of what can they do more than give us Eggs and Xenomorphs.

Because the Xenomorph on its OWN only has TWO Legs and well its maybe come down to Standing on its LAST LEG!

"One of my goals with ALIEN: Manticore and it's sequel is to give The Alien back it's mystique, it's Majeur, it's Power, Mojo and Insidious Appeal"

I think its always Interesting to WONDER as to WHAT it would have been LIKE had say Ridley Scott had got to make ALIEN 2 i think it would have been MUCH different to ALIENS.

I think we have to WONDER to WHY and WHERE it would have been that RS had taken ALIEN if he had done the ONE ENDING he wanted.

Where the Xenomorph would Survive and Mimic Ripley to LURE more Humans in, while that may NOT have been the BEST it shows that RS had more of a Future planned for the Xenomorph than just being Invasive Space Termites.

Instead of a Space Bug, we may have seen the Xenomorph be more like David lol....  a Xenomorph with Davids Agenda and how Disturbing David was... could be something Horrific.

Ridley must have been smoking when he dreamt up that idea! I'm so glad it never happened. It would have demeaned the Alien and made it far less enigmatic. The enigma is part of the terror.

I can only hope that David's foray into genetic engineering is a child's way of tampering with the ultimate creation horror. He's messed about with the box of fireworks, but he didn't truly make it. He found it and messed about with a bit of chemistry.

If I had my way, we'd have a movie that looks utterly Giger-esque that brings us the full story of the Engineers, and the back story of where they got the black goo technology. There's a much bigger story to be told.

ALIEN: Manticore's sequel will be 'almost the last' we see of The Alien...Big Chap has a ticket to Turks & Cacos for a LONG deserved vacation. :D

...that doesn't mean it's GONE.

And also, yes, it's a BIG universe out there...and maybe The Alien was merely the 'intro' to grander horrors and thought-provokers?

I, like everyone else, has zero control over what The Industry does...but I can and will pursue Ideas that hopefully make the Waiting easier for the Fandom and preserve The essence of the franchise...which is about so much more than one interesting life form.

The Engineers;
Perhaps and likely they had rivals...enemies, perhaps even usurpers, creations akin to Humanity who challenged them for supremacy?

Other Civilizations;
Perhaps the Engineers encountered others not born of their works and decided to annihilate them as they were 'outside the plan'...essentially pruning out 'weeds'.

Nature;
Is capable of things absolutely unimaginable...so there's worlds out there with 100% Naturally Horror-story ecosystems and biospheres.

Humanity;
"I think it's time we went from making better worlds to making better people." Is something that might be heard in a W-Y or other corporate boardroom...and if you think David's tinkering is scary, imagine what an interstellar conglomerate is capable of.

The story of ALIEN is barely begun...

BD

Just because the prequels are disappointing in general doesn't mean that you got to throw everything away. They said that at the AVP-galaxy podcast that Prometheus opened the franchise up and then AC sort of closed it more.

Having it about Ripley again is boring, bring me someone new. I wouldn’t mind the corporate conspiracy, it could work but they should throw something new in there because we already have the WY.

Maybe we could get some new monsters and therefore get some sort of indirect tie to the Engineers. I don't think that they would go that way but it would be good just to see something different.

“"In Space No One Can Hear you Dream"

That could be the case, I don't like it. Please no Ripley, I'll stay at home if that's the case. Another movie with a character created some 40 years ago isn't interesting specially if he already had a fitting end.

“Lets HOPE they don't go FULL MATRIX!”

We've gotten disappointments after Alien 3 so that wouldn't surprise me. I think that it's likely that we get another let-down.

“The Xenomorph has Captured Ripley, she is Cocooned for some Purpose, and the Xenomorph has Implanted a False Life/Memory and Dreams in HER.…”

LMAO! That sounds like a comedy to be honest, it's Resurrection-level.

The prequels would have been better if they wouldn't have been about David and if the characters wouldn't be so poorly written and executed. I don't care about the themes if the movie is underwhelming. You are probably right when you say that Alien 5 wouldn't connect very much to the prequels at all.

About the monster and Alien 5, at least they could have evolved it somehow. I don't want another Xenomorph. LOL! Rodents, let it infect a mouse and see what you'll get. :D

You mention mimicking Ripley, wasn't there an idea that it would make a call late in Alien? That would have been so stupid, I'm glad that they avoided that. It wouldn't even be an ending worthy of a B-movie, it sounds like a C-movie at best. If you want to evolve something you got to start with a somewhat good foundation/ideas but that just seems to be stupid. Like I’ve said, he's not a writer and that really shows with that idea. They avoided an embarrassment by rejecting that idea. He can come up with concepts and that but they should just be things that people could say yes or no to in other words he should not have an influence in the writing. Scott affected the writing in the prequels and we have a franchise that suffers partially because of that. To reference the AVP-galaxy again, they need someone that can stand up to Scott and say no when he gives crappy ideas but that should have been done earlier.

“... we may have seen the Xenomorph be more like David lol.... a Xenomorph with Davids Agenda and how Disturbing David was... could be something Horrific.”

LOL! David makes himself partially human, screws a Xeno (a queen?), and they have babies. What a disgusting mental image, really. Ridley isn't the only one that can make the Alien-franchise worse, I can too. :D

Hox: I like the idea of a movie that is more like Giger would have imagined how it would look like. I’m also agreeing about getting to know more about the Engineers, however I would like to keep the origin of the goo as a secret. One of the things about the franchise that makes it good is the mystery and if you get rid of that then it reduces the quality.

They tried to explain things in Prometheus and Covenant and the result has been so and so at best at least about the mystery-part. For example if they go back in the prequels and explain that this is how the Weyland company started, this is exactly how the Xeno got made, and so on then it would take away a lot of what is interesting, at least to me. When you remove one mystery you got to replace it with a better one, and I am not sure of that can be done at least if we look at how the prequels have dealt with it even though I find the Engineers and the goo to be interesting.

BWW:

A Xeno-vacation could maybe look like this

Not sure how it would react when it understands that it forgot the swimming-trunks. :D