(Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
Ridley Scott, who is currently promoting his new post-apocalyptic film The Dog Stars, revealed in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times that the third installment in the Alien prequel series he has been developing is now back in the works. Scott also teased that the third film will continue the story of David, the android played by Michael Fassbender, as he creates a “brave new world” of his own.
Following the disappointing box-office performance and largely negative reception of Alien: Covenant, the prequel series remained frozen for years. More recently, however, the franchise has finally begun rebuilding its momentum with Alien: Romulus and the television series Alien: Earth.
(Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
Another Alien film currently in development is an original standalone story conceived by Brian Duffield, the director of Whalefall (pictured above). The status of the Alien: Romulus sequel, meanwhile, remains unclear.
A while ago, reports claimed that Scott, serving as a producer, rejected a proposal to bring David into Alien: Romulus 2. Scott allegedly did not want David to appear in another director’s film, which reportedly left original director Fede Alvarez disheartened and led him to step down from directing the sequel.
Although 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell previously denied those reports, the current situation suggests another possibility. If Scott really did reject the proposal, it may have been because he wanted to return and continue the story himself—and because the storyline he envisioned conflicted with Alvarez’s plans.