Prometheus (Alien Prequel)

[bassman]

Resurrecting a bit of an oldie here. Ridley Scott recently did a Q&A and here are a few things he had to say about the prequel(S). - He said he was always amazed that no one explored the backstory of “The Space Jockey” in the sequels because it’s so obvious in the first movie. So now a script has been written and it’s being prepped. The story has no set timeline except that it’s WAY before the first Alien so that they can fit in enough history for two movies. Scott explained that once you learn the history of how the jockey encountered the aliens, you’ll also want to learn about how he got there. - He’s done a lot of underwater research for the upcoming movies. - This film will go very deep into the possibilities of terra forming and the realities of what it would actually take for humans to leave earth. He then started talking sort of technically about light speed and stuff. Taken from Collider. Underwater scenes? I'm having flash backs of the fourth film.

[MinionZombie]

Unless he means underwater research in terms of the creates that exist in our own oceans for inspiration? Or something like that...

[bassman]

Turns out....no Alien prequel. Instead, Ridley Scott and his writers have taken their ideas so far....that its not really related. The new film will be called "Prometheus" and stars Noomi Rapace. The initial draft of the script was written by Jon Spaihts (THE DARKEST HOUR) from Ridley's idea. Damon Lindelof and Scott have been working on a re-write which expands the story taking it in new directions. Apparently the two of them were instructed to go off on their own and come up with the story they wanted using the Alien DNA. Scott, who hasn't entered sci-fi territory since BLADE RUNNER went over the outline of the new story, “While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart.” Lindelof added this, "In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley's vision was for this movie. It's daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true."

[Legion2213]

Ah, good. Let sleeping space jockeys lie. I loved the mystery of them and am happy they will remain a mystery.

[Neil]

So now it's not a prequel? Good! http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48084

[bassman]

So now it's a prequel again? According to "inside sources" at the studio, an animatronic Space Jockey has already been constructed and the familiar xenomorphs will definitely be making an appearance. Also, Michael Fassbender(Inglourious Basterds) has been cast in the film and had this to say: “Oh, absolutely. There’s a definite connecting vein,. You realize you’re part of something else, but it’s definitely in keeping with the old ones.” … “When I read it, I was like, ‘Well, okay, another Alien. Where do you go with this idea?’ And then I sort of read the script, and it’s new, yet it’s in keeping with the old traditions as well. But there’s a whole new revelation within this film.” Aside from Fassbender, Noomi Rapace(original The Girl With Dragon Tattoo) has been officially cast and there are rumors of Charlize Theron joining as well. So excited to see the result.

[MinionZombie]

This is definitely one very intriguing project. I'm also looking forward to seeing Scott return to sci-fi. Some of his more recent works I haven't been all that fussed by, to be honest, some I've really liked (like Black Hawk Down), but others I've not been all that impressed by (American Gangster), while others I've had zero interest in (Robin Hood).

[bassman]

American Gangster was his best film in years, imho. Miles ahead of the likes of Gladiator and Robin Hood. But yeah....a return to scifi? Consider my pants soiled.

[blind2d]

Hmm, yep, definitely willing to give this one a try...

[krakenslayer]

At last I think we might be getting to the bottom of the connection between Prometheus and the Alien series:   "[Prometheus] has the Alien aliens in it. The catch, though, is that you might not recognize them – at least, not at first. Remember how the alien took on canine qualities after gestating in a dog? You may even suppose that the first film’s alien was so recognizably humanoid because it had grown in a human. The same applies here: generation by generation, the creature mutates. "As Prometheus begins, the xenomorph is not too recognizable. Sure, it has that alien DNA that Scott and Fassbender teasingly referred to, but it’s missing … well, it’s missing human DNA. Or dog DNA. All you have to do is imagine how it might look if it were to mix DNA with another alien species ... and I think we’re starting to work it all out." http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/02/...ens-factor-in/ So, if this anonymous source is correct, the main creature in Prometheus will presumably be the previous variant of the alien (i.e. whatever they looked/behaved like having absorbed space jockey DNA instead of a humans), or possibly even including the ancestor species to the alien, the original "pure" form, without having absorbed DNA from any other species (if such a thing is possible). In any case, the creatures will presumably appear quite vastly different to any generation of alien seen so far (let's forget about the idiotic Predalien from that shitty AVP2, and pray this is nothing like that).

[slickwilly13]

Probably going to look like very large chest-bursters. I remember a toy line from 15-20 yrs ago that messed with the concept of diffrent types of xenomorphs. I own a toy that is serpent-like. I can imagine a xenomorth with arms, but no legs and a snake-like body. I also recall a one similar one, which fits that description in a SNES Alien-themed video game back in the '90's.

[krakenslayer]

Maybe the alien not only picks up aspects of their hosts but also carries the best of them on into each successive generation. So for example, when the alien gestated in the dog perhaps it also kept the best adaptations of the human host in its DNA and added the dog adaptations on top of them. So then if the next generation infected, say, ET, then it would possess the best traits of ET, dog and human, and so on. In that case, if you go back a few generations, you could play with some interesting ideas. At some point, perhaps, it gestated in a creature with extendable jaws, being why it now has a set of its own. Remember how everything in the derelict had a similar sort of ribbed, armoured, bioengineered look, from the walls to the machinery to the actual Space Jockeys themselves? Maybe when they absorbed Space Jockey DNA , they took on these genetic traits and developed the hard armoured carapace and metallic fangs we now see in them.

[bassman]

So what about the original Alien 3 cut where it came from an Ox? I would've liked to have seen it take those traits.

[Trin]

mmmmm.... Noomi.....

[rongravy]

I'm allergic to Sigourney Weaver. Someone tell her to die already. That's all I'm saying.