The much-anticipated latest Alien series prequel, Alien: Covenant, isn’t out for another two months, but veteran director Ridley Scott is already planning his next entry in the franchise. In fact, he already has a script in hand and is hoping to begin filming as early as next year.
Katherine Waterston as Daniels in Alien: Covenant. Image: screengrab
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Scott said:
While working on Alien: Covenant, he had the next instalment written so he is ready to keep advancing the saga.
“You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you’d better be ready,” he says. “You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year.”
As Scott fans already well know, he also has a few other big projects in the works this year, including serving as executive producer on Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, which is due in October. But Scott — who also added in the interview that he had three sequels total planned for 2012’s Prometheus, which will all serve as “the back entrance” to Alien — is particularly focused on this saga, which he’s been a part of since 1979. Plus, he notes, there are questions from the series that are still begging for answers:
“Alien was special without question; it was unique really. Prometheus was a good starting block to kick off the idea that no one ever asked in the sequels.”
That question is who made the chest-bursting alien and for what purpose?
“Prometheus was about who and why? [Covenant] is getting closer to who designed it and for what reason.”
Of course, if there’s another film (or two?) already in the works, that means we probably won’t be getting all those answers when Alien: Covenant arrives May 18.