You know that Alien prequel director Ridley Scott was working on? It’s no longer a prequel to the popular science-fiction/horror franchise. Instead, it will be its own contained film entitled Prometheus according to an announcement from Twentieth Century Fox late yesterday afternoon.
The film will mark Scott’s return to the science-fiction genre for the first time since his ground breaking 1982 film Blade Runner. Scott has already cast Noomi Repace for one of the five major roles in the film.
Although Fox was (and probably still is) looking for a way to energize the franchise after the moribund reception to the two crossover films with the studio’s Predators films, they have allowed Scott and writer Damon Lindelof to pursue their muse on the project, which lead them away from Alien towards a new original idea.
As Scott stated to Deadline –
While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.
Personally, I think that this is great news. Part of the effectiveness of the Alien series is the unknown origins of the deadly, unrelenting, unstoppable aliens themselves. To delve into that mystery and provide answers, as was initially promised when the project was first announced, just robs the films of their power at generating fear of the unknown. Also, we now have Scott working on a new, original science-fiction tale, and seeing as how he has already produced two classics in his two times at-bat in the genre, odds are better than just good that that’s what’s in store for us this time as well.
Prometheus will hit theaters March 9, 2012.
