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Ridley Scott Says Next 'Alien' Movie Is Already Written
As we wait with breathless anticipation for the release of Alien: Covenant, director Ridley Scott says the next installment is already written. But first, what should we be expecting from Alien: Covenant?
Scott told The Sydney Morning Herald that he sees Alien: Covenant as one of three sequels to 2012’s Prometheus that will end up at “the back entrance” of the original Alien (below): “What we did really well on Prometheus, considering that it was a ground zero idea that was starting all over again, was I discovered that people do have an appetite for the alien and what he means and his evolution — the egg, the facehugger, the chestburster as we call them. People still want to see it. So I return to a little bit of that but not wholeheartedly; there’s a lot in here which is new as well.”
As to the future, Scott says: “You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you’d better be ready. You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year.”
The director, who is now 79, is described by cast members as having tremendous energy and vitality, and he certainly doesn’t sound ready to slow down. Back in September 2015, he confirmed plans for multiple movies in the pre-Alien universe, all with the desire to “explain the how and why of the creation of the Alien itself.”
As far as writers are concerned, in 2013 Jack Paglen wrote an initial draft, followed by Michael Green, who wrote a new draft in 2014. Veteran scribe John Logan (Scott’s Gladiator) came on board in late 2015 and he is credited for the screenplay along with Dante Harper. Paglen and Green are credited for the story.
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Who might have written the next installment in the Alien franchise? We have not heard a peep yet, but Scott tends to be open to new writers on new projects before bringing back old associates to fine-tune the scripts. We’ll keep our ears open to more news.
Alien: Covenant will open in theaters on May 19.