Neill Blomkamp Is Making His Alien Movie Next, Here’s How It Fits In The Timeline
This article is more than 2 years old
Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie is in the final stretch before it opens in a couple weeks on March 6, but the South African filmmaker has already lined up his next project, and it’s a big one. After a long gestating Halo adaptation failed to materialize, the District 9 and Elysium director has be reluctant to work with major studios, but he will team up with 20th Century Fox and make Alien 5. That’s right, Blomkamp is going to dip his toe into the universe created by Ridley Scott back in 1979.
Earlier this year, Blomkamp released some concept art for an Alien movie he was working on, but he gave the impression that it was something he was doing as a lark, not necessarily anything that was going to happen. A couple of weeks ago, he was quoted as saying that Fox was totally down to back his Alien project, but he was actually the one holding things up.
Yesterday, however, Blomkamp took to his Instagram account, where he first revealed the concept art, where he posted this H.R. Giger picture with the caption, “Um…so I think it’s officially my next film. #alien.”
Variety and others later confirmed Blomkamp’s statement with the studio, so this isn’t even a rumor, this is some shit that’s gonna happen, and we can’t help but be stoked. The idea of a director with such a strong visual style and crazy tech fetish working on an Alien movie is an exciting one indeed. It seems like a match made in heaven.
Many presume that franchise stalwart Sigourney Weaver will be back for Blomkamp’s Alien 5. She figures prominently in the concept art he created, and also appears in Chappie. It was even her presence that, according to Blomkamp, is partially responsible for the genesis of his idea. We’ll have to wait and see officially, but our fingers are crossed.
And if you’re worried about this taking the spot of Prometheus 2, don’t be, as that film is still next up for Ridley Scott after he finishes with his adaptation of The Martian. In fact, sources told The Wrap that the events of Blomkamp’s film will be set after those of Prometheus 2. What exactly that means, we’re not entirely sure, but it almost sounds as if Alien 5 is going to exist as a prequel to the other films, which is curious.
Granted, saying is happens “after” Prometheus 2 is super vague—technically all the Alien movies happen afterwards—but this raises a number of questions about where this falls in the timeline. If it’s a prequel, will Weaver be back, and how will that work? We don’t know where Scott’s film will end, so we have no idea where Blomkamp’s will pick up.
At this point, who the hell knows? And who the hell cares? Seriously, it was just announced yesterday. We’re stoked enough that there’s a new Alien movie on the way and that Blomkamp is at the helm. We’ll definitely take that for now, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one as it develops.
