In "127 Hours," actor James Franco found that no one could hear him scream when his hand became trapped under a boulder in the Utah desert. Now he may be set to find that the same is true in space, as he has reportedly joined the cast of Ridley Scott's "Alien: Covenant."

According to AvPGalaxy.net, "Franco will be appearing in 'Alien: Covenant' as Branson, the captain of the Covenant and husband of Katherine Waterson’[s] Daniels." The fan site also reports that Franco’s role is expected to be brief, with his character appearing mainly in the first 10 minutes.

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Franco's character will apparently also feature in some of the viral footage shot to promote the film. That might take the form of some kind of in-world documentary, akin to the "Peter Weyland at TED 2023" viral with Guy Pearce designed to promote the previous "Alien" prequel, "Prometheus."

Perhaps best known to comics fans as Harry Osborne in the Sam Rami "Spider-Man" movies, Franco was apparently in the running to appear in Shane Black's "The Predator." While it now seems unlikely the actor will face off against the famed extraterrestrial hunters, this new role raises the possibility that he will get face-to-face with their Xenomorph rivals.

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“Alien: Covenant” stars Katherine Waterston and alongside Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace. Guy Pearce will also reprise his “Prometheus” role, most likely in the form of recorded footage. The movie will hit theaters May 19, 2017 earlier than its originally announced release date of Aug. 4.

(via CinemaBlend)