Anybody who knows me and my taste in movies can tell you this: I’m a huge fan of the Alien films. Even Alien Resurrection, which I consider to be the weakest of the bunch and not really deserving of the name. It was still a good time, though. But, I digress. I love the Alien films, because they are fantastic examples of movie-making. While Alien 3 certainly had its issues in front and behind the camera, it was no less a gritty and hard-hitting film. These movies gave us a very unique and terrifying monster in the xenomorph: a creature that gestates inside a living host, and kills said host when it’s born by bursting its way through the host’s ribcage. It’s certainly gruesome, and it was one of the most memorable scenes of the original film. The original Alien was a run-away hit with a claustrophobic atmosphere and horrific situations. The second film, Aliens, was less of a psychological thriller and more of an action film, even though it retained some of the elements of the first. Directed by James Cameron, Aliens was a phenomenal success and an incredible sequel. Actress Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Ripley in the film. That’s not something to be taken lightly, as the Academy tends to snub science fiction and fantasy films. Alien also inspired books, novels, and video games throughout the years. The franchise remains, to this date, one of the most popular movie franchises in the world.
Now, the reason I bring this up is because recently, director Neill Blomkamp released concept art for a defunct project. That “defunct” project could possibly become another Alien film. The art-work that was released is extraordinary. It features the likeness of Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and Michael Biehn as Hicks. There are also drawings of an Alien Queen and a ship that bears an uncanny resemblance to the derelict that was featured in the first film. I’m going to link below this paragraph so you can this stuff out for yourselves. It’s great stuff. Now, keep in mind, that Blomkamp did these on his own without the studio’s knowledge. He was kind of playing around with the concept as well developing it seriously. All this comes as Neill Blomkamp prepares to release his latest film, Chappie.
Possible Alien Sequel Concept Art from Neill Blomkamp
If Neill Blomkamp gets approval from Fox Studios for a new Alien film, I’d be very excited. Why? Neill Blomkamp is one of my favorite new directors. His work on District 9 and Elysium are simply astounding. The man knows his science fiction, and knows how to get his actors to really deliver. Another reason is that he showed Sigourney Weaver, who appears in Chappie, the artwork and she seems genuinely intrigued. While I personally think that Ripley’s story has run her course, I’m still game for her appearing in one more film, especially if it sidesteps the third and fourth movies. That would make a lot of people happy. If there’s a director that could actually make this work, it would be Blomkamp. I think he would be the right person to put in the director’s chair. Ridley Scott, who directed the original Alien and Prometheus, is at work on a sequel to Prometheus as well as a sequel to Blade Runner. So, he’s out of the running. James Cameron? He’s hard at work at writing and developing the sequels to Avatar. Neill Blomkamp is the logical choice for this job, if Fox goes for it, and I think they would be stupid not to. The Alien series suffered some drawbacks, not just from Alien 3 and Resurrection, but also from the lackluster Alien Vs. Predator spin-offs. Prometheus was based in the same universe, but only had a passing connection to Alien. Which is a shame, because the concept for Prometheus started out as a direct prequel to Alien. Prometheus wasn’t a bad movie. I loved it. It was different, but it was visually spectacular and had some great ideas. But the story and plot were all over the place. My hope is that Fox contacts Neill Blomkamp and green-lights his Alien project. The last film in the series was Alien Resurrection and that was back in 1997. That was almost 20 years ago. I think there is still a vested interest in the franchise. Mainly because we’ve seen a couple of Alien videogames released in the past couple of years. Granted Aliens: Colonial Marines was a bit of a joke for those of you who play video games, but Alien: Isolation was a fantastic comeback for the video game franchise. Like Star Wars, I think there’s a great deal of possible stories to be told in the Alien universe. It’s dark, dirty, and scary. That’s exactly what an Alien film should be. Whether or not Fox goes for it, I don’t know, it’s way too early to tell. But the potential is huge. What would I like to see? Oh, the possibilities are endless. I might make a follow-up post to share some of my ideas, but I’m going to wait and brainstorm it. Any thoughts on this? Good, bad: What say you?