One of the most exciting announcements of the year so far has arguably been Fox’s confirmation that ‘District 9’ director Neill Blomkamp will be working on a new ‘Alien’ sequel. And not only is this sequel confirmed, but it features the return of Sigourney Weaver and (potentially) Michael Biehn? Add into all of this the continuing development of ‘Prometheus 2‘ and you have a greater interest in this franchise than has been seen in twenty years.
Even before the film was officially announced, much of what we’ve learned about it has come directly from Blomkamp himself, either through social media or in interviews he’s given in the course of promoting ‘Chappie.’ These tidbits have ranged from concept art posted on his Instagram to the suggestion (which he quickly walked back) that his film would overwrite or disregard ‘Alien 3’ and ‘Alien Resurrection.’ And now a recent interview with Empire has given us some additional insight, this time into the creative process and Blomkamp’s working relationship with Ridley Scott:
“I changed one thing [Ridley Scott] felt was bumping ‘Prometheus’ a little bit. One thing that makes me feel good about it is that Ridley is producing it. He likes the idea of what I want to make.”
While this (understandably) makes Blomkamp feel good, it should also be reassuring to audiences as well. In light of his mixed successes with ‘Chappie’ and ‘Elysium,’ critics have suggested that it was the guidance of Peter Jackson that were the reasons. Whatever one thinks of Ridley Scott’s more recent output, you can’t deny his experience. Even if he and Blomkamp are only chatting over coffee (rather than a more formal collaboration), it can only be beneficial.
Blomkamp also took the opportunity to tease his film’s title:
“I sent what I wanted as the title to Ridley. It’s kinda quite bold, and he was like, “I really like that.” So I’m gonna test it, I don’t think it’s gonna work, though. I have my own idea but it gives away too much if I say the title. But in the event that it doesn’t work, I’m dead in the water…’
Though neither film has an official release date yet, ‘Prometheus 2’ reportedly has a finished screenplay and is just waiting on a shooting schedule.
Check back for more on both of these films as they develop!