Ridley Scott confirmed that a new Alien film is in the works, but it'll likely be a departure from the worlds he previously created within Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
While discussing the popular sci-fi franchise in an interview with Forbes, Scott was asked when Alien fans could expect another film. "That's in process," he said, going on to say that Prometheus and Alien: Covenant tried to "reinvent the wheel," but "whether or not we go directly back to [them] is doubtful because Prometheus woke it up very well. But you know, you're asking fundamental questions like... has the Alien himself, the facehugger, the chestburster, have they all run out of steam?" He added, "Do you have to rethink the whole bloody thing and simply use the word to franchise?"
This isn't the first time that Scott spoke out about reworking the franchise. He told the LA Times this past May, "I still think there's a lot of mileage in Alien, but I think you'll have to now re-evolve. What I always thought when I was making it, the first one, why would a creature like this be made and why was it traveling in what I always thought was a kind of war-craft, which was carrying a cargo of these eggs. What was the purpose of the vehicle and what was the purpose of the eggs? That's the thing to question -- who, why and for what purpose is the next idea, I think." While Scott doesn't confirm how he is re-imagining Xenomorphs role in the world or galaxy, it does seem like he's rethinking their purpose on a stellar scale.
Prometheus marked Scott's return to the Alien franchise after a 33 year absence. The film did receive some criticism, though was still mostly well-received by critics and audiences, holding a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Alien: Covenant fared decently with critics as well, though disappointing box office numbers halted further development on the prequel world that Alien: Covenant planned to create.
Currently, Scott is primarily focused with his new sci-fi drama television series on HBO Max, Raised by Wolves. He directed the show's first two episodes, showing how androids would study humans and humanity's bleak landscape. Scott also serves as executive producer.
Raised by Wolves stars Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Jordan Loughran, Matias Varela, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Aasiya Shah, Ivy Wong and Travis Fimmel. The first three episodes premiered Sept. 3 on HBO Max, with subsequent episodes debuting each Thursday.