Following the collapse of Chappie, director Neill Blomkamp moved swiftly to secure up a steady franchise, and basically willed himself into taking control of a new Alien sequel. Meanwhile, Ridley Scott was getting busy to move forward with a Prometheus sequel, which will now be an Alien prequel proper bearing the title Alien: Paradise Lost and even have “connections with Ripley”, although he acknowledged that Blomkamp’s film will come at the character from a different angle and is more of a sequel.

Blomkamp is trying to maintain fans’ interest in his movie through Instagram, and recently posted an image of the new pulse rifles he’ll be using. He notes that the guns will have an “RIS” (Rail Interface System), which means you can attach scopes, lights, etc, so thank goodness for that.

I’m curious if Blomkamp now has to be more circumspect with what he shares in order to avoid stealing any of Scott’s fire or spoiling any Ripley-related secrets Paradise Lost might offer. I also fear that this one-two punch of Alien movies may have people longing for the days where the franchise concluded with Alien: Resurrection (although I legitimately enjoy that movie, so I’m in the minority there).

Check out an image of the new Alien sequel pulse rifle below. There’s still no timetable on when Blomkamp’s Alien movie will get going, but Alien: Paradise Lost is set to open on May 30, 2017.

For more on the Prometheus sequel, Alien: Paradise Lost, take a look at some of our recent coverage provided at the links below:

• ‘Alien: Paradise Lost’ Will Feature a New Group of Travelers, Says Ridley Scott
• Ridley Scott Talks ‘Blade Runner 2′, Replicants, and ‘Prometheus’ Sequels
• Ridley Scott Reveals when the ‘Prometheus’ Series Will Finally Link up with ‘Alien’
• Ridley Scott Says ‘Prometheus 2′ Answers Why the Engineers Created “Such Evil Biology”
• Ridley Scott Confirms ‘Prometheus 2’ Is His Next Movie