But don’t expect a return to the world of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
In space, no one can hear you cranking up a new Alien movie. Director Ridley Scott confirmed to Forbes that a new film in the iconic space-horror saga is in the works. But he says the new film is unlikely to take place in the prequel universe visited by the two most recent films, 2012’s Prometheus and 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
“We went down a route to try and reinvent the wheel with Prometheus and Covenant,” Scott said. “Whether or not we go directly back to that is doubtful because Prometheus woke it up very well. But you know, you’re asking fundamental questions like, ‘Has the Alien himself, the facehugger, the chestburster, have they all run out of steam? Do you have to rethink the whole bloody thing and simply use the word to franchise?’ That’s always the fundamental question.”
No date, casting or plot details for the new Alien film were revealed. Back in June, CNET’s sister site, ComicBook.com, reported that two producers were working on a script idea that might involve the world of dreams, and would include iconic character Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Weaver herself hinted that same month that it might be time to give Ripley “a rest.”
Scott kicked off the blockbuster Alien franchise with the original movie back in 1979, but didn’t direct the three sequels, Aliens in 1986, Alien 3 in 1992, and Alien Resurrection in 1997. More than 30 years later, he returned to the franchise for the prequel series.
Scott most recently directed the first two episodes of Raised by Wolves, a new HBO Max series in which androids raise human children on a mysterious planet.