Remember a few weeks ago when we wrote about movie franchises that maybe should never have been franchised in the first place? “Alien” could be one of them. Ridley Scott’s terrifying original is still remarkable, and James Cameron’s sequel “Aliens” managed to expand the universe by switching genres into the action war movie to great effect. But from “Alien 3” through the “V. Predator” team-ups to Scott’s recent “Prometheus,” all the other films in the series have been disappointing from one degree to another.
It remains to be seen if Neill Blomkamp can revive the series successfully. The South African at the helm of “District 9” was also behind the deeply disappointing “Elysium” and “Chappie.” Blomkamp has moved on to develop a new “Alien” picture that would see the return of Sigourney Weaver to the role of Ripley, moving alongside a potential sequel to “Prometheus.”
“Alien” fans cooled on Blomkamp after his second and third films have nevertheless been impressed by the concept art he’s posted from the still-untitled movie, and more’s just arrived, with the director teasing with another tidbit on his Instagram. The art features the likeness of Ripley, and confirms that his plans also seem to involve a return for Michael Biehn and his Hicks character, seen here gruesomely scarred. We’re still cautious about the project (there’s no arrival date yet), but Blomkamp seems to be excited, and we hope that indicates a return to the glories of his debut, rather than what came afterwards. Take a look at the art below.