Ridley Scott recently returned to theAlienfranchise in an arguably more proper way than he did with 2012’sPrometheusby releasingAlien: Covenant. People have very mixed feelings about both of theAlienprequels so far, but if lackluster box office doesn’t get in the way, we are at least getting one more entry in the franchise. Now, writer Damon Lindelof has shed some light on where the story could possibly go, should Fox give the green light to theAlien: Covenantsequel, which was being calledAlien: Awakeninglast we heard.
Warning: Spoilers forAlien: Covenantahead. Damon Lindelof, who worked on thePrometheusscript but did not return to work onAlien: Covenant, recently spoke with Collider, in honor of his HBO seriesThe Leftoverscoming to a close. During the conversation he talked a bit aboutAlien: Covenantand some of what he discussed with Ridley Scott in terms ofwhere the story could goafterPrometheus. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“I think that one of the conversations that we had at the end of Prometheus is,Shaw and Davidhave basically locked in on the coordinates of the planet where the Engineers came from. What does that place look like? Ridley called it ‘Paradise’. What happens when they land on that planet? It doesn’t feel like they’ve gotten there yet in Covenant, Covenant felt like it maybe was a detour prior to them arriving at the place of origin so I don’t want to spoil any place that he might still be wanting to go, but the conversations that he and I had about where the story goes next were largely about the place where theEngineerswere from and less the events of Covenant.”
We heard way back that thesequel to Prometheuswas going to be titledAlien: Paradise Lost, so that gels with what Damon Lindelof is saying here. So, it sounds like maybe what he and Ridley Scott discussed may wind up being the cap to thisAlienprequel trilogy. Looks like we may not have seen yet where the Engineers actually hail from, if what Lindelof is saying here winds up being correct. Given howAlien: Covenantleft off, it seems perfectly feasible that David could be taking all of his human hosts to meet the Engineers and unleash the Xenomorphs on another unsuspecting population. Ridley Scott has already revealed that the next installment will be titledAlien: Awakeningand is being written as we speak. He also said that those events may take place betweenPrometheusandCovenant, which would allow Shaw to return, fully revealing her fate.
But don’t hold your breath,Alienfans. Or, at least those of you who likedPrometheusand/orAlien: Covenant. As of right now, the secondAlienprequel has made just $175 million worldwide, working from a $97 million production budget. That is less than half of whatPrometheusmade in total, and things aren’t looking to improve all that much. So, it is possible that Fox could rethink their strategy and get in the way of Scott’s bullish plans for futureAlienmovies. If he gets his way,Alien: Awakeningwill shoot next year, but that is far from a guarantee at this point.
One thing is certain: ifAlien: Awakeningdoes happen, Michael Fassbender will be back as David. As we saw inAlien: Covenant, he conducted quite a few experiments and was instrumental in the creation of the Xenomorph. Unfortunately, that cost Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) her life. Concept artist Matt Hatton recently released some of David’s drawings from the movie online that hint at Shaw’s gruesome fate. You can check them out below, if you have the stomach for it. These could also hint at what the remaining crew aboard the Covenant have in store, now that David is running things. And possibly what will be seen inAlien: Awakening, if it backtracks as a prequel toCovenant. This is all a little confusing.
