Ridley Scott deserves all the respect in the world for helping to launch the Alien franchise. However, his pride for Alien is becoming the franchise’s biggest detriment.
Scott has been in the news lately for his comments regarding his future in the Alien franchise. Scott has made it known that he wants to direct another Alien movie. More specifically, a third prequel movie after Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Scott revealed his sequel to Alien: Covenant would revolve around David, the android played by Michael Fassbender, creating a “brave new world for himself.”
“AIs can go off,” Scott said about David. “And if they do, it’s like a bomb.”
Scott expanded on his Alien sequel comments, telling the French outlet AlloCiné he has the “footprint” for the next Alien.
“I’m rewriting the next Alien movie,” Scott said. “I suddenly went back and got involved. The one that just came out last year [Romulus] was okay. I think it needs some help. So I’ve gone back in.”
Scott has every right to be involved with the Alien franchise. However, it’s becoming an issue as Alien tries to map out its future.
Ridley Scott should no longer be holding the Alien franchise hostage
Scott has the rare distinction of being a filmmaker who launched a franchise from nothing and then brought it back from the dead. 1979’s Alien is a landmark sci-fi horror, and 2012’s Prometheus resurrected the Alien franchise from obscurity.
At 88, it’s respectable that Scott wants to direct more films, and he should continue doing it for as long as he can. My pushback is more of a control issue involving Scott and his grip on the Alien franchise.
Alien: Romulus proved that the franchise is just fine with Scott as a director. Fede Álvarez, who helmed hits like 2013’s Evil Dead and 2016’s Don’t Breathe, directed Alien: Romulus, while Scott served as a producer. Romulus received predominantly positive reviews from critics and fans, and it grossed $350 million worldwide.
A sequel was in development with Álvarez writing the script. However, Álvarez announced that he would only produce and not direct. Why? Judging by Scott’s comments, it sounds like he didn’t like Romulus or its sequel’s script, and he’s stepping in to fix it.
Scott not liking Alien: Romulus, the second-highest-grossing Alien movie behind Prometheus, is certainly his opinion. I liked Romulus because it channeled the spirit of Aliens, my favorite entry in the franchise. An entry that, by the way, had no involvement from Scott.
Again, I’m fine with Scott producing a future movie, but when he’s stopping other Alien movies from entering production, that’s where I draw the line. The Alien franchise will go on without Scott. Plus, if it’s in the hands of a capable horror director like Alvarez, it can thrive. It’s also not like Scott is coming off a major hit, so he has the clout to kill other pitches. The Dog Stars is already a flop.
Understandably, Disney wants to respect Scott’s wishes, but at some point, they must put their foot down and allow other directors to make an Alien movie.
