Filmmaker Ridley Scott is currently on the press tour for his supremely entertaining sci-fi pic The Martian, but he can’t stop talking about his next movie, the Prometheus sequel. Granted, he’s being asked plenty of questions about the follow-up—which he recently revealed is titled Alien: Paradise Lost—but the director appears more than happy to spill the beans on what’s in store for Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender’s characters. It’s not altogether too surprising since he basically spilled the plot of both Prometheus sequels before Prometheus even hit theaters, but regardless, if you want info on Prometheus 2, Scott is more than happy to share.
Which brings us to today’s bit of news. Speaking with Empire, Scott was simultaneously cagey and tantalizing in discussing how Alien: Paradise Lost connects to the original Alien franchise:
“In a way it is Prometheus 2. It’s exactly the same story. But it was always in the works to be called that [Alien: Paradise Lost]. Is Prometheus actually taking us off course from where I’m going, which is actually backing into the first Alien... I’ve even got connections with Ripley [in this], but I’m not telling you what.”
Speaking of Ripley, District 9 helmer Neill Blomkamp is set to direct an Alien film of his own, one that is intended to be more of a direct sequel to that franchise than the kind of offshoot that Scott is toying with. When Prometheus 2 ratcheted up to start production first, many wondered if this meant Scott was displeased with Blomkamp stealing his Alien thunder, so to speak, but the filmmaker says he’s still involved in Blomkamp’s movie as a producer:
“I’m producing it. The design is for it to go out next, after this. This will go out first. It’s more associated with Ripley, it’s a completely different angle, it’s more of a sequel. I’m coming in from the back end.”
This is a bit antithetical to what Scott originally said about the Prometheus franchise, which he intended to move further away from Alien. Now, however, it looks as though he wants to bring it back around to Alien after all. But Scott isn’t only focused on Alien: Paradise Lost; he tells Den of Geek that he plans to direct further sequels:
“Definitely. Last time I should have done it."
It’s strange to think that back when Prometheus was made, it marked a long-heralded return to the sci-fi genre for the filmmaker. Now he appears to be on a bit of a sci-fi kick with The Martian, Paradise Lost, and further sequels (should those actually come to fruition). Regardless, I’m very eager to see what this Prometheus follow-up has in store for us. With the story focusing on Rapace and Fassbender visiting the home planet of the Engineers, at least we can (hopefully) avoid more "bad scientist" drama.
