Summary
TheAlienmovies returned to cinemas with the successfulAlien: Romulus.OriginalAliendirector Ridley Scott served as a guiding hand on the franchise’s latest entry, and now the filmmaker is admitting one regret he has about the film series.
Aliendebuted in 1979 and gradually became recognized as one of the best science fiction films, spawning a 1986 sequel directed by James Cameron that many people regard as equal to or better than the original. However, theAlienfranchise arguably struggled in the ’90s and 2000s with sequels and crossovers (without Scott at the helm) that many feel didn’t measure up to the first two films. Scott returned to the director’s chair in the 2010s for theAlienprequelsPrometheusandAlien: Covenant, but he feels he missed an opportunity when he resurrected the franchise.
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Scott lamented the fact that he and his Scott Free production company team don’t have ownership over theAlienorBlade Runnerfranchise. Although Scott and his production company produced directorFede Álvarez’sAlien: Romulus, this lack of ownership over the franchise means they must earn the right to be part of any newAlienorBlade Runnerentry. Scott partly lays the blame for this on the production company’s previous management:
I should have locked them up, as [Steven] Spielberg did withJurassic, and everything he does, and James Cameron has done with what he has. I resurrected a deadAlien[franchise] withPrometheusandAlien: Covenant, and we should have rejoined the ownership right then, and we didn’t, because someone was careless.
AnAlien: Romulussequel was all but confirmedby 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell. A deal with Álvarez hadn’t closed at the time Asbell revealed the news, but they were working on an idea and the 20th Century boss impliedAlien: Romulusstars Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson would return. Scott presumably has to earn a spot on the team, but Scott Free president and COO Justin Alvarado Brown stressed the importance of keeping Scott and the production company on board for any futureAlienandBlade Runnerentries. “It would make no sense that another movie is made without Ridley and us,” Brown said.
The future of theAlienfranchise is both bright and unclear. WhileAlien: Romulusreenergized the franchise, many fans hope the film series to avoid the mistakes of the past. One way to accomplish this is to avoid turningAlien: Romulusstar Cailee Spaeny’s Rain into the next Ellen Ripley. What Álvarez and 20th Century Studios have planned for theAlienfranchise remains to be seen, but afterRomulusrevived the film series, fans are finally excited to see it all unfold.
TheAlienmovies are available on Disney Plus.
Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
