Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Alien 5’ Was Canned Because Ridley Scott Got “Possessive,” Sigourney Weaver Says

If you remember, Neill Blomkamp came very close to shooting his “Alien” sequel a decade ago. There was even concept art shown to the public. People were very excited to see what he’d come up with, and this was only a few years after the filmmaker wowed critics and audiences with “District 9.”

However, the “Alien” film completely fell apart, much like Blomkamp’s attempts at reviving “RoboCop” and “Halo.” No reasons were officially given. The studio, 20th Century Fox, then decided to go in a different direction with the franchise by prioritizing Ridley Scott prequels (“Prometheus” & “Alien: Covenant”).

This month, “Alien” franchise star Sigourney Weaver gave a Q&A Masterclass at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, and that’s where she admitted that Blomkamp’s “Alien 5” was canned because of a “possessive” Ridley Scott (via AVPGalaxy).

“Yes. Well, I think like many of us, I was a big admirer of Neill. His movie was so striking, and I worked with him on a movie called [‘Chappie’]. And I loved working with Neill, and he had this idea of bringing Ripley and Newt back. It was a wonderful script, and unfortunately, it was at that point I think that Ridley Scott decided to be very possessive about the series and really drilled down on his prequels. And so I think it was a disaster for that project. We were never able to… I think Neill, in fact, just gave up, and he’s so talented. I wish him all the best,” Weaver told the panel.

Just don’t ask Blomkamp about “Alien 5.” Two years ago, Uproxx interviewed the filmmaker about “Gran Turismo,” but when the topic of “Alien” came up, Blomkamp didn’t want to hear anything about it.

It’s hard to define how little I care about what happens with ‘Alien.’

The interview abruptly ended right after that.

It’s been a tough road for Blomkamp ever since his “District 9” breakout. His ensuing films — “Elysium,” “Chappie,” and “Gran Turismo” — all received mixed reviews from critics. Although, there are definitely some major “Chappie” fans out there, including myself.

Of course, it’s not a wild claim to believe that Scott was “possessive” and put the kibosh on Blomkamp’s “Alien” movie. The most recent example saw Scott very recently part ways with director Fede Álvarez on the “Alien: Romulus” sequel over “creative differences.”