Quantum Quandary?
BigDave
MemberDeaconApr-28-2021 8:04 AMWith NO NEWS this Years ALIEN DAY as far as any Future for the Franchise on the Screen, does the Franchise have a Future?
Theatrically? or just in terms of TV Series?
I think its been a TRICKY Number of Years since we had Alien Resurrection, then the AVP Series and so it was a QUAGMIRE to where to go Next!
With the Prequels we got a Introduction to some New Expanded Elements but the First Movie had NOT put the Emphasis on the XENOMORPH... The Sequel had re-introduced the Xenomorph and Hyped it but to the Disappointment of the Fans.
Had the Prequels attempted to Change too Much? Was some of the Ideas to Expand Beyond the Xenomorph maybe a Mistake?
During 2018 they seemed to come to a STICKING POINT at WHAT to do Next.... Those in Charge had RAN OUT of Ideas or Certainly had Little Idea on HOW to Continue the Prequels.
With the Disney Acquisition of the Franchise, maybe they would PLAY IT SAFE?
Over the LAST FEW Years its been Quite on the Prequel Front. However a Few other Ideas had seemed to Re-Surfaced.
We had seen the Concept of a ALIEN V (Blomkamps) Alternative ALIENS Sequel, that had been Placed on HOLD so that Ridley Scott could Continue with his Prometheus Sequel. But it did seem after this that Blomkamps ALIEN V may had gotten a Go-Ahead with some Changes........ However in LIGHT of the Disappointment that was Alien Covenant it seems this IDEA was Scrapped.
The ALIEN FRANCHISE had came to a STOP (Theatrically) as Disney would PONDER to HOW can they Continue. The Acquisition had allowed the Franchise to Continue in other Mediums.... such as Video Games, Comics and Novels etc... there was always a Market for these... And these GET BACK to what MOST are used to from the Franchise.
We did over a Year Ago have some News about a Brandywine ALIEN V Project which Sigourney Weaver indicated was Interesting (but she said the same with Blomkamps Project) but she Questioned if she could Return and do Ripley any Justice.
This Project by Walter Hill and David Giler did seem to Indicate they thought you would have to Re-introduce our Ripley and the Xenomorph. Was it a CASE that they had just RAN-OUT of Ideas? Or that going with NEW IDEAS that would Steer Away from what the Franchise was MOST remembered for would be a RISK?
We have had Rumors of TV Series thats On/Off and Movies but then December we had NEWS that Indeed they are WORKING on a TV Series that would be SET before the Prequels that ONCE AGAIN would PLAY IT SAFE and introduce the Xenomorph.
What i am ASKING is if we FEEL that was the Prequels a Mistake? Should we Continue with some Elements of them? Should we REBOOT them?
Were the Ideas within them to AMBITIOUS for the Fanbase? Should they have STUCK to the Basics? Are any of these Ideas worth Expanding/Continue with?
But then on to the Franchise.... what could you have done after ALIEN RESURRECTION if you was to NOT go and do a Origins or Prequel Story?
Its seems from the Last more Concrete News we have had that Disney seem to be Interested in getting back to the Xenomorph in maybe giving us a Reboot/Retcon on some of the Franchise....
Certainly looking at what we KNOW about Brandyline's ALIEN V Project and the TV Series by FX.
I felt the Prequels had LET the Genie out of the Bottle, the Franchise could have Expanded Beyond the BOX it was in, but it seems with HOW the Prequels went and a FEAR of Continuing to TRY something Different that WHEN/IF we get a Movie/TV Show it could be PLAY IT SAFE and a Concern for me is the Potential could be PUT back into a BOX....
But we should NOT go and Write Off the Alien V and TV Series as maybe Deeper they could offer something that does CHANGE the Portrayal of the Xenomorph that we had seen in the Quadilogy or maybe NOT and maybe some things are BEST to be LEFT to No Change.
In the MEANTIME i think its Nice that we get to see Comics, Novels and Games to give us a ESCAPE into the Alien Universe, they Provide us some Entertainment and maybe thats the KEY? Maybe the Prequels where trying to do something in Terms of Scope and Depth that was maybe TOO AMBITIOUS for the Franchise?
R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017
MonsterZero
MemberXenomorphApr-29-2021 5:15 PMWorldbuilding is always going to be problematic ( probably the reason RS was always talking 5-6 movies )......Origin of the SpaceJockey, origin of the Engineers, ..origin of the xeno....holy crap! that's just too much. We didn't get any of that for Alien.....No backstory for anyone.
Guess I'm more interest on the how and why the Space Jockey died...Then where it lived and it's home life.
BigDave
MemberDeaconMay-01-2021 7:03 AMI think that was Part of the Problem with TRYING to Expand the Franchise, The more Background you give to the Engineers/Space Jockey and what Worlds they have Created the MORE that maybe you have to STEER AWAY from the ALIEN.
But for some they would see doing so is just Taking the Franchise to something that is NOT really ALIEN and that the Space Jockey and Xenomorph should go Hand in Hand. So maybe something more SIMPLE and BASIC and that MAYBE going into too much DETAIL to WHY the Space Jockey would have those Eggs was something thats maybe BEST to have left a Mystery.
But i can see what Ridley Scott was thinking as the Space Jockey Fate was Pretty Obvious he had Fallen Foul to his own Cargo.
ONCE you Answer the Following then its a Question of WHAT NEXT?
*WHEN/HOW was the Space Jockey infected with his Cargo, (HOW did a Face Hugger get Loose).
*WHAT was the Space Jockeys intention for the Cargo? (Study/Experiment) or for War/Conflict but with WHOM?
I think the 2nd Point is the Most Important One as this then leads to.
*WHERE did the Space Jockey get those EGGS
For just over 30 years THE FANS may have Wondered about THESE Questions. They may even have all had their OWN Theories or Wants as FAR as HOW would you Answer these.
When it came down to it the BASE QUESTIONS would be WHERE did the Eggs come from and WHERE was the Space Jockey going and WHY?
Its a Question that i think MANY of us had always wanted to Answer, but maybe something that SHOULD have remained a Mystery. The PROBLEM you have if you decide to leave it a MYSTERY would be WHERE do you GO in regards to NEXT after Alien Resurrection.
I think NO MATTER what route they had taken, be it a ALIEN V Sequel to ALIEN R, a RETCON of ALIEN 3 on-wards or another ALIEN STORY within the Franchise that has nothing to do with RIPLEY.
Once you have VISITED the ALIEN another 2-3 Times i think Eventually you are going to come to that QUESTION?
So WHERE did they COME FROM?
So i think Eventually you would have had a ORIGINS story, i think with Ridley Scott he wanted to have a ROLE in this as he NEVER got to Continue after ALIEN and so he would have WANTED to have a SAY in the Origin of the Xenomorph, but he also seemed Interested in the Space Jockey Story.
I know that Jon Spaights had said that before his Pitch it seemed the IDEA would have been Very Much similar to a ALIENS i think as a Prequel they would have touched on the ORIGINS a Bit..... But i think its a CASE of ONCE they had Decided on that...
*Xenomorph was a Engineered Bio-Weapon the Space Jockey Race was taking to some Conflict/War or Destruction.
Then you would be left to ASK as to HOW/WHEN did they Create the Xenomorph and WHO/WHEN was they going to USE the Weapon and WHY was they doing so?
I think ONCE you Answer that then maybe if they wanted something NEW then it would be the CONFLICT they are Involved with to Expand On.... Once we KNOW as to HOW the Xenomorph came to be.
I think as Spaights had Pointed Out..... if the Space Jockey was a VERY ALIEN looking Species that had NO CONNECTION to Earth, it was INVOLVED in some CONFLICT some THOUSANDS of Years ago.... against either a Faction of themselves or another ALIEN SPECIES in some FAR FAR AWAY part of the Galaxy then it would be HOW do you Expand on that and then have a Series of Movies where we ENCOUNTER say 1-2 ALIEN Races that have NO WAY to Communicate with Humans.
Then we are Essentially looking at Wandering upon a BATTLE ZONE between say Independence Day Aliens vs say War of the Worlds Aliens where ONE SIDE has Created the Xenomorph to use to TURN the TIDE.
So i think that giving the Space Jockey a Backstory was a Interesting Move.... HOWEVER i think to go and Expand on this and STEER AWAY from the Eggs etc was a BOLD and Ambitious Move that could maybe had Created a Expanded Franchise Spin Off but that would maybe be to FAR away from the Interest of some of the FANS.
I think that the LACK of Answers and Connections to ALIEN in Prometheus was a Mistake.... the MOVIE should have been more Connecting and ALLOWED the Door to ALIEN to be CLOSED and then they could EXPAND on the Engineers in a Spin Off Franchise.... while still being able to EVENTUALLY give us other ALIEN Movies... that dont have to revolve around the Engineers.
R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017
BigDave
MemberDeaconMay-01-2021 7:24 AMI think with HOW they had Explored the Prequels and with NOT having any Origin Answers to the Xenomorph and NOT knowing the Space Jockey Event, had Disappointed some Fans.
The Decisions that was made that LEAD to Alien Covenant are a RESULT of Cracking to Pressure they FOX Felt we NEED to give those Answers, and then to NOT think outside the BOX...... the SET-UP for a Prometheus 2 could seem Limited and Difficult if you had WRITERS who are LIMITED and cant think outside the BOX.
By that i mean the Premise of Dr Shaw wanting Answers from a RACE of God Wanna Be Humanoids who DONT take Kindly to Humans, and a ROBOT who also does-not take Kindly to Humans and surely wont be Pleased at being Dr Shaws Translator and getting his HEAD RIPPED OFF again.
So Potentially we have a COPY of Prometheus... only Dr Shaw wanting her Answers of a NUMBER (likely) of Engineers than Weyland wanting more LIFE from a Single Engineer.
So you have a SHIP with a Bio-Weapon, a Human who wants Answers from these Engineers, with a ROBOT that may have his OWN Motives turning up to the Home-world of the Engineers who MAY-NOT welcome them...
"Hi my Name is David this is Dr Shaw she is a Human you Created and she Demands to KNOW as to WHY"
What was going to Happen?
*Welcome Children come in do you Fancy some Tea?
What would they make of David? What would David make of the Engineers if they seemed Welcoming to Dr Shaw but they saw him as just a ROBOT too?
So the amount of Engineers they Discover, and HOW these beings would Welcome them would be WHAT the Movie would be based on.... with David as Translator? Can you also have a MOVIE with just ONE HUMAN?
This is a PROBLEM the Writers Faced...... also with such a PLOT its HOW do you Discover the Xenomorph Origins? Would having ANOTHER MOVIE with NO Xenomorphs go down well?
And so this is WHEN we get a Change to Introduce us to a World where other Humans would Arrive, which then Evolved into a Story where they would also Introduce the Xenomorph Origins....
And so thats HOW we get to ALIEN COVENANT and the aftermath which has NOT gone down too well and had LEFT them in a PICKLE to HOW do they Continue...
So you can see it seems that DISNEY maybe wont want to RISK a Continuation of the Prequels... seems they CANT come up with a IDEA to get to ALIEN that wont REQUIRE at least TWO Movies and that MAYBE would NOT get much Interest.
Seems the IDEAS have RAN DRY!
It seems that DISNEY will likely think that they HAVE to go back to the Xenomorph, but do they Reboot anything, do they Reinvent the Xenomorph? or do they Connect to the ALIEN Franchise Events?
ONLY TIME... will tell.
All we have so FAR that seems Concrete would be the FX TV Series but then if this is to be CANON and set a Considerable Time before the Prequels i think this could be Problematic. Especially set on EARTH!
R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017