Nearly 40 years after it hit theaters,Ridley Scott’s originalAlienhas stood the test of time, and is still considered one of the very best movies in both the horror and sci-fi genres. 20th Century Fox even re-released bothAlien & Aliensin theaters last year for “Alien Day,” on April 26. This year,Ridley Scottis returning to this iconic franchise withAlien: Covenant, which will mark the star of a new trilogy that will connect to the originalAlien. While this movie is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated of the year, filmmakerJames Cameronisn’t necessarily looking forward to it.
With just two feature films under his belt,Piranha IIandThe Terminator,James Camerondirected the 1986 classicAliens, which celebrated its 30th Anniversary last year. But the franchise hasn’t been the same since then. The widely-panned 1992 sequelAlien 3, which marked the feature directorial debut ofDavid Fincher, was considered a huge misfire, withJames Cameronhimself even criticizing the film for killing off two beloved characters, Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Newt (Carrie Henn). During a new interview withVulture,James Cameronrevealed that he doesn’t think we need any moreAlienmovies, although he also added that he would stand in line for anyRidley Scottmovie.
“The franchise has kind of wandered all over the map.Ridley Scottdid the first film, and he inspired an entire generation of filmmakers and science-fiction fans with that one movie and there have been so many films that stylistically have derived from it, including my own Aliens, which was the legitimate sequel and, I think, the proper heir to his film. I sort of did it as a fanboy. I wanted to honor his film, but also say what I needed to say. After that, I don’t take any responsibility. I don’t think it’s worked out terribly well. I think we’ve moved on beyond it. It’s like, okay, we’ve got it, we’ve got the whole Freudian biomechanoid meme. I’ve seen it in 100 horror films since. I think both of those films stand at a certain point in time, as a reference point. But is there any validity to doing another one now? I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s see, jury’s out. Let’s see whatRidleycomes up with. Let me just add to that, and don’t cut this part off, please, I will stand in line for anyRidley Scottmovie, even a not-so-great one, because he is such an artist, he’s such a filmmaker. I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own franchise would be fascinating.”
Regardless of whatRidley Scottcomes up with inAlien: Covenant, fans will get to see what it is quite a bit sooner. 20th Century Fox had originally set an August 15, 2025 release date, but in November, the studio released a new poster which revealed they had pushed this sci-fi thriller up to May 19, where it will go up againstDiary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long HaulandEverything, Everything. There were also plans for a project simply known asAlien 5, which was to be directed byNeill Blomkamp, but just a few days ago, the filmmaker revealed thatAlien 5will probably be canceled, telling a fan on Twitter that the chances of it happening now are “slim.”
There is very little we know about what the studio andRidley Scottare planning for afterAlien: Covenant, but that story is said to take place roughly 10 years after the events of 2012’sPrometheus. The cast is lead byKatherine Waterston, who many believe is playingRipley’s mom, but that has not yet been confirmed, along withMichael Fassbenderas David, the android fromPrometheus. The cast also includesDanny McBride,Demian Bichir,Jussie Smollett,Amy Seimetz,Carmen EjogoandJames Franco. With the May 19 release date approaching, hopefully we’ll get some new footage in the very near future.
