Long-ago shelved, Neill Blomkamp's fifth installment of the Alien film franchise still has some secrets to reveal as seen in several pieces of concept art posted online.
Concept artist Geoffroy Thoorens shared his work on the project via his Instagram over the last month. There are xenomorphs, starships, space marines and many familiar faces in several images. The highlight of the small gallery features Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley donning battle armor seemingly inspired by the xenomorphs themselves.
Before it was canceled, reports indicated that the fifth film would retcon both Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, which both struggled to capitalize on the popularity of the first two movies. In doing so, it would bring back characters like Ripley, Michael Biehn's Hicks and the android Bishop played by Lance Henriksen. Several rumors pointed to the return of Newt, potentially giving more closure to the character beyond an off-screen death.
The project -- once titled Alien: Red Harvest -- drew praise and interest from Weaver and others involved but never entered into production. The franchise was eventually handed back to original director Ridley Scott who went on to make Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. These images offer a glimpse into what could have been.
Source: Instagram