By the time Alien: Covenant hits theaters, it will have been just about five years since Prometheus was released. That is a pretty big gap for a high-profile sequel in one of the most beloved franchises of all-time from one of the most respected directors in the history of cinema. But with Alien: Covenant looking like it will be a proper return to the Alien franchise and all of the marketing materials getting fans incredibly hyped for some Xenomorph action, Ridley Scott has already made it clear that he won't be making the same mistake this time around. In fact, he already has the next entry in the series ready to go.
Sydney Morning Herald recently ran a very in-depth piece about Alien: Covenat, which featured quite a bit of Ridley Scott talking about the Prometheus sequel/Alien prequel. The director said quite a bit without revealing much, but without a doubt the most interesting bit is that Alien: Covenant 2 has already been written and, assuming this movie is a success, he is ready to shoot the following installment next year. Here is what he had to say about it.
"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."
Part of the issue with Prometheus, at least for some, was that the movie didn't feel like an Alien movie. At least not elementally. Yes, there were spaceships and things that people could connect to that world, but proper Xenomorphs were nowhere to be found. Fox has made it very, painfully clear that Alien: Covenant will have what audiences want to see and Ridley Scott also makes that clear, but he also explains that Prometheus was setting up a much larger story. Here is what he had to say about it.
"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"
The latest trailer for Alien: Covenant finally showed some Neomorphs in all of their glory. It looks like this movie will be showing us the genesis and creation of arguably some of the most feared creatures in cinema history, which is more than enough to get longtime fans of the franchise excited. According to Ridley Scott there is a question that the sequels to Alien never really addressed and he fully plans to address that question in this movie; who made the chest-bursting alien and for what purpose?
"10 years later I came back and said 'you know what, I think I can resurrect the franchise.' Alien was special without question; it was unique really. Prometheus was a good starting block to kick off the idea that no one ever asked in the sequels. Prometheus was about who and why? This is getting closer to who designed it and for what reason."
So outside of some gory, scary Alien action that we have been craving since Aliens hit theaters more than thirty years ago, we are actually going to get some answers, which is pretty interesting. One could argue that the mystery of the unknown is part of what makes something like Alien work, but this is Ridley Scott's baby and he seems to be very confident in what he is doing since he already has the sequel ready to go. That is good news for those of us who have been waiting a long time for another great Alien movie.
The Alien franchise isn't known for turning around sequels in a timely manner. Even Aliens took seven years to get made. But it looks like that won't be the case this time around and assuming this movie is as good as it looks like it might be, that is a very good thing.The cast for Alien: Covenant includes Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, James Franco, Demian Bichir, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby and Billy Crudup. Alien: Covenant is directed by Ridley Scott and is set for release on May 19.