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All Other Priorities Are Rescinded

By Cindy Davis | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (31)

alien-space-jockey.jpg

Well, now that makes sense. It looks like Natalie Portman gave up a lead role in a space movie for the lead role in a better space movie (or at least a more high profile space movie). After having turned down Gravity, it seems Natalie Portman is the front runner to star in Ridley Scott’s untitled Alien prequel.

Word is out that Damon Lindelof has completed his script and Fox is thrilled with the story that takes place around 35 years prior to Alien events and aims to recapture the original’s horror-suspense feel (as opposed to the action-heavy sequels). The new film also promises to identify the Space Jockey and explore its backstory. Lindelof’s script is reportedly a hit with studio executives because it doesn’t contain big action sequences (read: expensive) and could likely attain a PG-13 rating.

If for some reason - and I can’t imagine turning down such a part - Portman declines the role of a Marine general, Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is reportedly next in line.

While I’d probably rather an unknown actress lead us back to Alien territory, I don’t really have a problem with Natalie Portman either. She’s still got some chameleon ability and hasn’t veered into that over-the-top star thing where I can’t see her as a character. Despite feeling nervous about Lindelof writing the script, unless the thing gets horrible early reviews there is little that would keep me away. What say you, Pajibans? Will you be drawn to this regardless of the lead or are you attracted to or repulsed by the idea of General Portman?

(Source: Vulture)









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Comments

Everything sounds wonderful except for this: "Word is out that Damon Lindelof has completed his script and Fox is thrilled with the story..."

No good can come of Fox executives being happy.

Posted by: admin at October 13, 2010 5:08 PM

SPECIAL ORDER 937: BRING BACK R RATING

Posted by: jon29 at October 13, 2010 5:13 PM

A PG-13 Alien?
Does it cuddle people to death?

Posted by: Simon at October 13, 2010 5:13 PM

Word is out? Reportedly? You mean, New York Magazine's Vulture broke the story. You get enough of your own scoops. Why rip off somebody else's w/o giving credit. Play nice.

Posted by: Joe at October 13, 2010 5:14 PM

Does it cuddle people to death?

No. The rating is for possible inter-species oral sex off screen. Those Face-Huggers are hung like horses.

Posted by: admin at October 13, 2010 5:14 PM

I agree with all the things said so far.

PG-13: Alien vs. Predator. UGH.

That said, I could see Natalie Portman or Noomi Rapace doing a decent job.

Posted by: MM at October 13, 2010 5:16 PM

and could likely attain a PG-13 rating.

Yeah, you just lost me.

This movie could have characters played by actual interstellar aliens who zapped in via a wormhole at Alpha Centauri and chose the cinematic format as their official "first contact" with the human race with entertaining us as their only desire, and I still wouldn't see a PG-13 Alien.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at October 13, 2010 5:25 PM

And sprite-like Natalie Portman as a marine general? I'd be interested to see what angle they use to spin that into credibility. Perhaps she's an Ender-Wiggin-esque strategic genius, because I have a difficult time imagining her pulling off something along the lines of Jenette Goldstein's Vasquez.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at October 13, 2010 5:31 PM

no matter what the MPAA rating, I can't stretch far enough to buy portman as a marine general. maybe the general's daughter, or granddaughter, or even the general's barrista; but not a general.

maybe they could just get the little girl from kick-ass and do a mash-up with that orson scott card series.

Posted by: idleprimate at October 13, 2010 6:03 PM

There better not be even a whisper of heaven or religion or a large hole that has to be plugged by a big-ass stone or anything like that.

Having said that, I don't see any reason for any more Alien movies. Seriously, that dead horse has no flesh left on its bones. It is a dessicated skeleton now. My first clue was "prequel." Some back stories don't need to be explained. They really don't. Why does Hollywood have to kill all the mystery?

Posted by: Slash at October 13, 2010 6:05 PM

God, is there no stopping the PG-13ification of America?!

Posted by: Todd at October 13, 2010 6:29 PM

Actually, I'm down with Natalie Portman as a general. Sometimes a little bitch can whoop a whole lotta ass. If any tiny gal can do it, I think she can.

As for the PG-13 rating, not so much. Big overblown action sequences aren't necessary in an Alien movie, but horrifying deaths are.

Posted by: stardust at October 13, 2010 6:34 PM

I can only assume that because anything that makes me unhappy will make Fox happy, it stands to reason that anything that makes them happy will make me unhappy. I know it's flawed logic. And yet...

Posted by: superasente at October 13, 2010 6:40 PM

Natalie Portman as a general's barrista.

That has some legs. I never did buy the whole "survey ship / mining colony" thing. It was a freaking Starbucks survey ship, looking for new bean suppliers.

The alien is actually the good guy - a pissed-off Juan Valdez. Or space burro. A couple years between ports of call and, well, even a giant, acid-veined pack-crustacean starts looking good.

Whole new meaning to "first contact."

Posted by: BierceAmbrose at October 13, 2010 6:48 PM

Joe, word is out means pretty much every entertainment news outlet is reporting it. I'm not claiming I got the scoop on anything.

For those wondering about the PG-13 rating, apparently the logic is that Alien could have been so rated if not for the rampant "Fucks".

Posted by: Cindy at October 13, 2010 7:36 PM

Hmmmm... Well yeah, she was certainly good in those Star Wars prequels.

Oh wait.

Posted by: Scott at October 13, 2010 9:05 PM

Natalie Portman as a general's barrista.

That gave me a good laugh. I have no problem with badass Natalie (que: Natalie's Rap!), but a General she aint. She might make a good Captain tho.

Posted by: EJ at October 13, 2010 9:47 PM

setting aside the fact that natalie portman is small and mousy. she is AWFULLY FUCKING YOUNG to be a general. did some mosquito wipe out all the older folk, you know those who got past the age of 28, and therefore she is some kind of senior personnel? if she is a general, how old is the cannon fodder, 7? can we scoop the cast of 90210 and glee for the infantry?

*the alien chuckles and thinks of food*

Posted by: idleprimate at October 13, 2010 10:23 PM

I love Aliens AND Natalie and none of you can keep me from it. I believe with all my heart she could pull off the 'dread shivers and bulging fear eyes...but wildly improvising, then making that gutting, wrenching noise as she lunges for the one slim chance she has...TO BLOW IT OUT OF THE ________!'.

Loving it.

Posted by: replica at October 13, 2010 10:34 PM

there is a theme emerging in these posts about long loved franchises. no one wants lucas to 3dize starwars, but they will shell out for a new theatre release of the untouched originals. no one wants new meta-takes on snow white but would shell out for a rerealease of the original 1937 Snow White. heck, i never watched back to the future but do you want a new one or would you like to see the ones you loved on the big screen again, and introduce your kids?

In the same vein, if you are a movie studio, looking for some easy money, don't do it by kicking the director in the balls, don't do it by cheaping on the writer, don't even do it by shying away from set pieces. if you want money, put Alien back in the theatre and then use the proceeds to finance an original project. and hey, fuck, go space opera all the way, we eat that shit up.

Posted by: idleprimate at October 13, 2010 10:57 PM

Will you be drawn to this regardless of the lead or are you attracted to or repulsed by the idea of General Portman?

No, I'm repulsed about Damon Lindelof writing an "Alien" script. Also, even though it's being directed by Ridley Scott (that's "Sir Ridley" to us, I guess), he hasn't exactly been inspiring awe lately. It's a done deal, but it didn't need to be made.

Posted by: Uriah Creep at October 13, 2010 11:32 PM

If there's no Ripley, I want nothing to do with it.

Posted by: Lexie at October 14, 2010 12:03 AM

Portman is too tiny to be credible in a role that previously had Weaver as the lead.

Posted by: surreysam at October 14, 2010 1:34 AM

I'm sorry, but that sounds awesome. I like Portman, love Aliens, very excited about this.

Posted by: Sarah Barkai at October 14, 2010 2:32 AM

PG-13 for some studios is ok. PG-13 for FOX will be ridiculous horseshit of the Live Free or Die Hard variety where just as many people die, it is all just strangely bloodless and the naughty language is poorly dubbed. After all, they have to be able to market the "Uncut and Extended Facehugger Edition!!" when it comes on DVD.

FUCK. FOX. Between the rating, the squabbling about money, and FOX involvement in general I'm rapidly losing interest in this movie. I'm betting Scott jumps ship, too.

One of the worst cock-ups of all time has to be FOX's handling of the Alien franchise. There are so many stories to explore and they just keep recycling the same ideas over and over and over. Resurrection was a mess, but at least it was a visually horrific and mesmerizing mess. The AvP movies have been disposable and this is exactly where the Alien prequel is heading as well.

Posted by: TylerDFC at October 14, 2010 6:56 AM

"Some back stories don't need to be explained. They really don't. Why does Hollywood have to kill all the mystery?"
Sasha, couldn't agree with you more.

As for General Portman, I'd love to watch a crew cut Portman, perhaps sporting some ugly facial scars. Make her look a bit older and a tactical genius with an unrelenting willpower to offset her small physique, and it could work. I'm just not sure about the prequel thing though.

My question is this: how is having space marines in the prequel going to recapture the original’s horror-suspense feel? What's wrong with this picture?

I really wish they would stop messing with the character. They're slowly ruining whatever awesomeness it had. If you can't improve or build on what's there already, then better to leave it alone.

Posted by: King Mob at October 14, 2010 8:16 AM

I just thought of something. So is the plot that a Weyland Yutani ship came across the derelict in space and caused it to inadvertantly crash onto LV-426? Are they going to be the ones to send the warning that the crew of the Nostromo inadvertantly thinks is a distress beacon?

I guess that's not the worst idea ever, but kind of pointless. I just don't get what this story adds to the mythos other than how the Company found out about the alien in the first place. Of course, that was already established (stupidly and via strained ret-con)in AvP. Terminator Salvation was a decent movie but in the end it added absolutely nothing to the story. Unsurprisingly, that was FOX as well.

ALIEN is one of my favorite movies of all time so the ongoing turmoil about this new one is both intriguing and like a dagger in the heart. I've liked/loved the other movies in the series. Yes, even ALIEN3. I take that one to be a nightmare Ripley had in hypersleep. It makes it easier to deal with and accept for what it is. Also that rationalization keeps Newt and Hicks alive and after everything they went through in ALIENS it is ridiculous to think they didn't make it home. Gotta love those FOX executives. The studio slogan really should be FOX: Ruining Can't Miss Franchises Since 1992.

Posted by: TylerDFC at October 14, 2010 8:36 AM

Yup another size 0 heroine. *yawn*
And PG-13 too! That's great. All the tweens can identify with Portman who looks like a 13 year old.... boy.

Posted by: logan at October 14, 2010 11:03 AM

TylerDFC makes a good point. This does seem very reminiscent of Terminator: Craptastica in that we already know how it ends. So what's the point?? It's all well and good, until you get to the end and realize it didn't say anything all on its own and you've just wasted two hours.

I love Aliens. (The 2nd more than the rest, but the first was excellent too.) And I like Natalie Portman (although she is far too wee to be a credible marine of any sort, much less a ranking officer). But I am skeptical of this entire idea.

And long live Hicks!! It was a dream. It had to be a dream.

Posted by: cydeleida at October 14, 2010 1:24 PM

It would be fun if independent theatres could send a message. If indie theatres, collectively picked up the original Alien to show on the opening day of whatever they dole out as the new one, those of us who are nostalgic and would have seen anything called alien, even knowing it was going to be crap, could go and dump our sweaty dollars on the real deal.

I feel this more and more, I wish more films just got re-releases. studios could make megabucks without spending a dime, and we could enjoy big screen love and not have to endure bad remakes, unnecessary reboots or stretching-for-legitimacy prequels.

Everyone would win. Theatres would be full, audiences would be happy and all the money in the world would continue to flow to the studios.

Seriously, if you were offered a choice between seeing the original Planet of the Apes in the theatre(no new effects or 3D) or watching a remake, which would make your dollars more excited?

Posted by: idleprimate at October 14, 2010 3:03 PM

"Lindelof’s script is reportedly a hit with studio executives because it doesn’t contain big action sequences"===SSSSUUUUCCCKKKKKK.

Posted by: clancys_daddy at October 14, 2010 7:17 PM