Damon Lindelof discusses the prequel aspect and title of Prometheus, plus new pics!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Screenwriter Damon Lindelof had some interesting things to say about PROMETHEUS in a recent interview with EW, particularly about the question of whether or not it’s a prequel to ALIEN or something else entirely, as well as the significance of the film’s title, which tells a lot about what to expect from the film.  Additionally, a big batch of cool pics from PROMETHEUS were featured, which have the cast and crew rockin’ their spacesuits while filming on location. 

Here’s the highlights:

When asked about the “prequel” status of PROMETHEUS, Lindolof had this to say:

“I do not want to be evasive, but I do have to challenge what you mean by that word. Because that word is a very recent thing. I hadn’t really heard the word “prequel” before Phantom Menace. If your definition is: this is a series of events that precedes an existing movie, then, yes. This series of events that happens in Prometheus precedes the series of events that occurs in Alien. However, one of the other definitions is that the ending of the prequel leads you right up to the beginning of the preceding movie. The Thing prequel ends with a dog running across the Arctic landscape being pursued by a helicopter….”

When asked about how the title, PROMETHEUS, relates to the story of the film:

“I don’t want to sound like the movie is a history lesson, but I do think that the primary take away from the myth of Prometheus is that the Gods were nervous about mankind. They were nervous about what they would be capable of if they had fire. Fire was a big piece of technology that they would build off of. And the story of any creation is eventually a child will try to destroy its parents. It’s a very paranoid world view, mythologically-speaking it pops up a lot. Especially for us Star Wars aficionados.

So the essential story is: I don’t want to give my kid this toy because eventually he will develop it into a weapon that will kill me. So I will therefore withhold it from him. And what is the price I must exact on somebody who betrays me? So Prometheus steals the fire from the Gods, gives it to mankind, knowing exactly what mankind is going to do with it and even though he knows he’s going to be punished for it. So this myth felt perfect for this movie because the movie is all about creation, it’s all about punishment, and it’s all about our desire to understand why we’re here in the first place. It just felt like the natural way to go even though we knew people would have a hard time pronouncing it and that it was wildly pretentious.”

These are some great bits that really get me jazzed for the film.  As if I could possibly be more excited.  I love that they have taken such great care to build a film that is beyond our expectations and different than what we’ve seen before.  As much as I dig the xenomorphs, I am down for something fresh.  The whole thing feels like it’s fallen into place in a masterful way.

For the full interview, click here.

PROMETHEUS starts being awesome on June 8, 2012.