Ridley Scott isn’t slowing down. The filmmaker behind Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, and The Martian has several projects in various stages of development, including Treasure Island, a World War I drama, a potential Bee Gees biopic, a western, and even a possible musical. But one project should particularly excite Alien fans: Scott is still hoping to make a third movie continuing the story established in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
Scott tells the Los Angeles Times the long-discussed Alien prequel would follow Michael Fassbender’s David after the events of Alien: Covenant, with the android attempting to create a new world for himself. If it happens, the movie could finally bring the story of Scott’s Alien prequel films to a conclusion after Prometheus was released in 2012 and Alien: Covenant followed in 2017.
Scott remains fascinated by David, the synthetic played by Michael Fassbender in both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. The character’s evolution from seemingly helpful android to increasingly dangerous artificial intelligence became one of the main elements of the prequel storyline. According to Scott, the proposed third film would pick up with David creating a “brave new world for himself.”
That storyline would give Scott the opportunity to explore one of the most intriguing unresolved threads from Alien: Covenant: what David ultimately intends to do with the Engineers’ technology, the creatures he has created, and the colonists aboard the Covenant.
Scott has also connected David’s story to his broader fascination with artificial intelligence.
“AIs can go off,” Scott says. “And if they do, it’s like a bomb.”
The director has explored artificial intelligence and synthetic humans in the likes of Alien and Blade Runner. But despite his interest in the subject, Scott says he has not incorporated AI technology into his own filmmaking.
“The uneasy question is: Can the AI only be as good as the information fed into it?” Scott says. “If I say ‘Here’s a blank canvas, write me such and such,’ would that just be a melange of millions of other scripts? Probably. But the danger is it’ll pass that point and become smarter than we are. I can compete with an AI without any problem making images. But it’s coming, inevitably.”
Scott’s desire to continue David’s story is particularly interesting given the recent uncertainty surrounding the next Alien movie. Fede Álvarez, who directed 2024’s Alien: Romulus, has confirmed that he will not return to direct its sequel, although he remains involved as a producer alongside Scott. The sequel remains in development, but the studio is looking for a new filmmaker.
Recent rumors claimed that the Romulus sequel had been shelved because of creative disagreements involving Scott and Álvarez. One version of the rumor claimed that Álvarez wanted to bring David back into the story, while Scott allegedly opposed the idea. That claim has not been confirmed, however, and 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell directly disputed the cancellation rumor. When a post claimed that the sequel had been shelved, Asbell responded simply: “Nope.”
Another report has claimed that filmmaker Brian Duffield, director of Whalefall and No One Will Save You, is writing a new Alien movie for 20th Century Studios. That report has not been officially confirmed either, although journalist Jeff Sneider has said he heard the same rumor. It remains unclear whether Duffield’s project is connected to the Romulus sequel or represents a separate Alien story.
The original Alien: Romulus was a major commercial success, earning more than $350 million worldwide, and the franchise remains an active priority for 20th Century Studios.
So, for now, there appear to be multiple different Alien film projects in play: the Romulus sequel continuing that film’s timeline, the rumored Brian Duffield project, and Scott’s proposed third prequel returning to David’s story.
That distinction is important because Scott’s proposed movie would not simply be Alien: Romulus 2. It would be the long-awaited continuation of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, bringing David’s story and Scott’s prequel mythology back to the forefront of the franchise.
The Alien project isn’t the only movie Scott is considering. Scott says Scott Free Productions has more than 40 projects in development at any given time, although many eventually disappear. He personally tries to focus on approximately four or five projects at once.
One of his most immediate projects is Treasure Island, an adaptation written by Adolescence screenwriter Jack Thorne and starring Hugh Jackman. Scott says the movie is scheduled to begin filming in November. He is also attached to an adaptation of John Harris’ World War I novel Covenant With Death. Another script that recently caught his attention is set in Africa and explores “how we’re punishing the planet.”
Scott also remains hopeful that his long-delayed Bee Gees biopic will finally move forward at Paramount.
“We wrote it,” Scott says. “I met with Barry [Gibb]. But right now I don’t know where we are with it. I hope it comes together and Barry does as well.”
Scott has other ambitions beyond those projects. He wants to make a western and is interested in directing a musical inspired by Bob Fosse’s work.
“I like ‘Cabaret’ because you have a musical built into a political agenda,” Scott says. “And right now, I’m thinking about turning one of [my past] films into a musical. I can’t tell you which one because they’re being difficult.”
He isn’t saying which movie he has in mind, either.
“So you can agonize over that. I wouldn’t dare say which one.”
Scott also isn’t involved with the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series, although he says he regrets allowing the Blade Runner franchise to move beyond his direct control. He was more involved with the TV series Alien: Earth, which he describes as “pretty damn good.”
And despite being 88 years old, Scott insists he’s not finished.
“When you think of your legacy, you’re too near the end,” Scott says. “I’m not near the end.”
Would you like to see Scott complete the trilogy he started with Prometheus and continued with Alien: Covenant? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Personally, I’m rooting for the Bee Gees biopic to go into production ASAP.