Few movies have garnered as much speculation and excitement as ‘Prometheus’ has. As the opening date draws nearer, more information has been leaked about the film but the basic question still remains: Is ‘Prometheus’ a prequel to the movie ‘Alien’ or not?

Ever since it was announced that Ridley Scott would be directing ‘Prometheus’, fans everywhere were anticipating an ‘Alien’ prequel movie. Then in a press release, Scott declared that it wasn’t actually a prequel but fans would be able to “recognize strands of Alien’s DNA…but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative.” Damon Lindelof (who wrote the screenplay) has said that the overall feel of ‘Prometheus’ is similar to the first ‘Alien’ movie while Peter Fassbender has said that “It’s a different story, but it’s also got the traditional roots. ‘Alien’ fans will recognize things in it. It’s not ignoring ‘Alien,’ there’s still a link to that world. But it’s a different story. It’s definitely connected, though.”

The official Facebook page for the movie has this as the synopsis :

Ridley Scott, director of “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.”

However, word early on had it that the ‘space jockey’ cockpit was built before filming started at Pinewood studios indicating that the movie does take place within the ‘Alien’ world. The fact that Rafe Spall maybe let it loose when he inadvertently confirmed the movie was a prequel during a BBC morning show and the statement Scott made about the last eight minutes of  ‘Prometheus’ evolving into “a pretty good DNA of the ‘Alien’ one” are making many to lean toward ‘Prometheus’ being a prequel with fans surmising that the climax of the film will occur in the Space Jockey chamber.Combine all this with the really low quality video of a possible trailer that was leaked and it’s beginning to sound like the movie is definitely a prequel. (The trailer has since been pulled from websites at the request of 20th Century Fox).

CEO of Fox Entertainment, Tom Rothman has also made the same denial as everyone else has about ‘Prometheus’ being a prequel. He explains the movie this way:

“I suppose if you want to definitionally be that literal, but it does it a great disservice. I will tell you, here’s the way to think about it. If you looked at the whole movie, 95 percent of it is entirely unto itself. Ridley said it right: If you’re a fan and you look closely, you’ll spot strands of DNA.”

Sounds like Rothman is saying that by definition of the word “prequel”  alone,  the movie IS one in that it happens before the timeline of ‘Alien’ but is in itself its own movie. There will be glimpses than fans will recognize that will connect ‘Prometheus’ to ‘Alien.’

So the question remains “ is it or isn’t it”. If you take this definition: prequel: A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a preexisting work or a sequel then yes, ‘Prometheus’ is a prequel if it indeed involves the DNA of ‘Alien.’

There is one thing that the fans and everyone else who is involved in the movie agree on; ‘Prometheus’ will be grand and impressive, more than anyone can image. As Rothman states, “It’s way bigger than that. The ideas are way bigger, way more original and — it’s a scary word — way  more profound.”

So what do you think? Is ‘Prometheus’ a prequel or not? Here’s a few photos that were featured in Entertainment Weekly and below you can watch Rothman’s interview with MTV to help you make your decision.