Ridley Scott Reveals That ALIEN: PARADISE LOST Will Connect to Ripley
Last week we learned that Ridley Scott’s Prometheus sequel will be called Alien: Paradise Lost. He then explained the reason for the title change, “We're heading back to why and how and when the beast was invented. We'll go back into the back door of the very first Alien that I did thirty years ago."
In a new interview with Empire, the director explains even further how this movie will connect his original film. He even reveals that the movie will also have a connection to Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley as well as Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming Alien 5. Here’s what he had to say:
“In a way it is Prometheus 2, it’s exactly the same story. But it was always in the works to be called that [Alien: Paradise Lost]. Is Prometheus actually taking us off course from where I’m going, which is actually backing into the first Alien… I’ve even got connections with Ripley, but I’m not telling you what.”
That’s definitely an intriguing thought! I’d love to see how this movie actually connects to Ripley. It’ll probably be something obscure but fun for the fans to pick out. Apparently the idea of this film is something he’s been thinking about for years:
“Years ago, I kept mulling over what Alien 2 could be. I was fiddling around with some ideas. I was always fascinated with why this thing [the xenomorph] would be made, by whom, and for what purpose? The planet it was on – and I was looking at the dark side of the moon – would be called Paradise. Paradise is a very ominous word...”
Apparently there was a point where Scott wasn’t interested in using the classic H.R. Giger Xenophorph designs, but he has since changed his mind, and it looks like we’ll be seeing designs inspired by the original Alien film in this upcoming movie. Asked about it, he says:
“I think I have to go again. We will see who made it, and why. That’s what’s interesting.”
Scott is obviously looking to reconnect with his fanbase. Prometheus was met with a lot of mixed reviews. Some fans hated it while other liked it. I thought it was entertaining, but I didn't like how all those scientist characters were too damn stupid to be scientists. I’m excited to learn why the Engineers were responsible for the creation of human life on Earth, though, and also why they would then create the Xenomorph bioweapons to annihilate that life.
Scott went on to confirmed that Blomkamp’s Alien 5 is moving forward, and it’s not being pushed because of Alien: Paradise Lost, which is a rumor that has been flooding the Internet. He said:
“I’m producing it. The design is for it to go out next, after this. This will go out first. It’s more associated with Ripley, it’s a completely different angle, it’s more of a sequel. I’m coming in from the back end.”
Alien: Paradise Lost will start shooting in February with Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender set to reprise their roles of Shaw and the android David. There’s no word on when that movie will be released, but it's looking like it will happen sometime in 2017. Blomkamp’s Alien sequel should be released the following year, and Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn are set to return as Ripley and Hicks.