Even before “Prometheus” opened in May, we’d been hearing rumbles about work already underway for a sequel to the film. I’d heard that it essentially ended on a cliffhanger, and that design teams had been engaged to work on figuring out the home world of the Engineers as well as some familiar Xenomorphs.
I think it’s safe to call the reaction to the film “mixed” this summer, and as a result, it seemed likely that all those early plans would go unrealized and that we’d never actually see that sequel.
Fox must have been happy with the numbers, though, because according to a report this morning in the Hollywood Reporter, Fox is pushing ahead to develop a sequel with Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace starring. We checked in with Fox, and it’s still very early days on this one. They are indeed reaching out to new writers to try and figure the film out, but they confirm that Ridley Scott is the one steering the direction as they start to develop the movie.
Scott obviously had some big ideas about what he wanted to do with this new series set in the same world as “Alien,” and while many people wanted to heap their irritation about the film on co-screenwriter Damon Lindelof, I think he was absolutely working to satisfy Scott. Scott was the one who finally signed off on the script, so simply replacing Lindelof and Jon Spaihts seems like it will probably result in a very similar film to the first one.
Of course, they could mix it up. This new film could be all about answers. We could well get a film that manages to tie up everything that “Prometheus” introduced. Personally, I think they painted themselves into a very strange corner and it’s going to take some profound narrative convulsions if they hope to make a film that satisfies on a dramatic level.
Then again, I wasn’t a fan of “Prometheus” overall, so they’re not going to be making this sequel for me. I’m sure many of you are excited by today’s news, and it’s safe to say that Ridley Scott’s vision will remain the thing that steers this film. No word yet on a release days, but considering Scott is about to start work on “The Counselor,” working from an original script by Cormac McCarthy, I’m guessing the earliest you’d see a “Prometheus” sequel would be late 2014.
We’ll have more for you as the story develops.