The Alien Prequel Is Official
And Ridley Scott Will Direct /
Dustin Rowles
Trade News | July 31, 2009 | Comments (18)
Though Ridley Scott abandoned the Alien franchise after the original movie and then watched it, eventually, devolve into a mess of money-grubbing, Alien vs. Predator bullshittery no better than most video-game movies, the man has apparently decided to return in an attempt to resurrect the franchise. By making a prequel to his own 1979 film.
As producer of the prequel, Scott had originally tapped commercial director, Carl Erik Rinsch, to tackle the sequel, a turn that we wrote about in May. But apparently 20th Century Fox wanted the director of A Good Year put back in charge. Fox has also hired Jon Spaihts to pen the script, who is working on a few other projects, but who hasn’t written anything that’s made it to the big screen yet.
So wait? You’re telling me that there’s no script and an unproven screenwriter, and Ridley Scott still came aboard as director? Is it just me, or is this one horrible idea? Not just the prequel — which will probably be an origins-type story focusing on the crew of the empty spaceship that sent out the distress signal in the first film — but Ridley Scott’s decision to return to a worn-out franchise. There’s no way he can top the original; he’s just kind of lowering himself down to the level of Paul W.S. Anderson and Jean-Pierre Jeunet and wallowing in their sloppy fourths.
There’s a reason why James Cameron didn’t return to the Alien franchise, or the Terminator franchise. He knew when to get out. And to stay out. A few bad years behind the camera, and Ridley Scott has apparently lost his self-esteem. And his mind.
Comments
Posted by: Manny at July 31, 2009 9:32 AM
I don't know. I'm thinking that he might want to tell the story about the colony on LV-426, the terra formed planet that Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley returns to in the second film. We never really see how it all went down, thought we're given clues from the cast a few extra scenes in the collector's edition. It may even open up opportunities for a new story line if some of the colonists managed to make it off before the Colonial Marines are called in.
I mean, come on, who doesn't want to know what happened to the perosn that left that half eaten donut on their desk and who that chick is that gets torched by the marines?
Stay frosty, bitches.