Ridley Scott's "Alien" universe is blowing up at the moment. Director Neill Blomkamp ("District 9") said recently that his planned sequel (the fifth in the official "Alien" franchise) will not "tread on the toes" of Scott's planned sequel to "Prometheus" which was, in itself, a quasi-prequel to "Alien."
"I changed the one thing [Scott] felt was bumping 'Prometheus' a little bit," Blomkamp said in an interview with Empire. "One thing that makes me feel good about it is that Ridley is producing it. He likes the idea of what I want to make."
The latter submissions in the "Alien" franchise were not nearly as well received as the earlier films. Because of this, Blomkamp has said that "the first two films are the ones that I care about," in recent weeks. Blomkamp has maintained that his film will be more in line with those movies as opposed to the later versions.
Blomkamp also kept the lid tight on what the intended title for the film will be.
"I sent what I wanted as the title to Ridley," Blomkamp said. "It's kinda quite bold, and he was like, 'I really like that.' So I'm gonna test it, I don't think it's gonna work, though. I have my own idea but it gives away too much if I say the title. But in the event that it doesn't work, I'm dead in the water..."
Blomkamp has said that he has long been toying with a xenomorph-themed movie idea but his wife and frequent collaborator Terri Tatchell revealed what pushed him over the edge.
"He's hemming and hawing, going back-and forth," Tatchell said. "Finally I said, 'Look, look at what you make me drink my orange juice out of every morning,' and I pulled out of the cupboard, we have these set of glasses that have these brutal scenes from the movies. I said, 'You make your daughter drink out of these cups. This is a sign.'"
"No bullsh*t, that made me realize there is a massive portion of my brain taken up by the xenomorph," Blomkamp said. "I was like, 'Hmm, that's a valid point.'"
Scott is expected to direct "Prometheus 2" which will see the return of original stars Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender in what should be a journey to the homeworld of the Engineers from the first film. As of now, the film is set for a March 2, 2016 release date though pre-production has not even started yet.
Sigourney Weaver will return for Blomkamp's film, though it is unknown if it will be a direct follow up to 1986's "Aliens" or if it will build off of "Alien 3" and "Alien: Resurrection."
