Fede Álvarez, who directed the successful “Alien: Romulus,” had been developing the sequel before unexpectedly departing, potentially over creative differences involving Ridley Scott. 20th Century subsequently approached “Evil Dead Burn” director Sébastien Vaniček, who I now hear might be involved in an “Alien” movie that is not related to that one.
Scott has long expressed interest in continuing the Prometheus/“Alien: Covenant” storyline, particularly Michael Fassbender’s David, and reportedly rejected Álvarez’s desire to include the character because he wanted to retain the option of bringing David back himself.
Scott’s creative influence may ultimately have been a key factor in Álvarez’s exit and the ongoing difficulty of finding a director. It certainly doesn’t help that he is now telling The Los Angeles Times that a “Covenant” sequel is indeed in the works, one that would fully center on Fassbender’s David.
Scott says it will pick up with David creating a “brave new world for himself.” Scott is fascinated by the character, a malfunctioning AI.
“AIs can go off,” Scott says. “And if they do, it’s like a bomb.”
Over a year ago, Scott had seemingly put an end to his involvement in the “Alien” franchise, which is why the clash with Álvarez over David was unexpected. In a chat with ScreenRant, Scott had seemingly pulled himself out of the IP. “Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further.” Translation: “Good luck, kids. Don’t screw it up any more than you already have.”
Now, he wants back.
Scott didn’t just direct 1979’s “Alien” — he built the entire damn franchise. The infamous chestburster scene will live on in the cinematic time capsule. James Cameron expanded on his vision by relying more on action than horror, with great results. Then came the prequels, “Prometheus” in 2012 and “Alien: Covenant” in 2017, where Scott tried to inject some heady philosophical musings into the franchise — to mixed reactions. But I am part of the cult that abides by ‘Prometheus’ (‘Covenant’ was a total bust for me).
At a Q&A this morning, Gray said "Two Lovers" was the first film he made with creative control. He was far less kind about the three before it, "Little Odessa," "The Yards" and "We Own the Night."