Neill Blomkamp will be directing
While little is known about the plot at this point, we are aware that Neill Blomkamp will be directing the film. Blomkamp is well known for his film, District 9. He intends for the new project to be a sequel to James Cameron’s 1986 classic ALIENS, placing it as the third movie in the series. The director has stated that he wants “this film to feel like it’s literally the genetic sibling of ‘Aliens.’ So it’s ‘Alien,’ ‘Aliens,’ and then this movie.” He does not intend to discount or undo Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection however.
Sigourney Weaver will star
An Alien sequel wouldn’t be a sequel without our main girl, Sigourney Weaver, so by logic, her inclusion in the cast means that this movie is going to be LEGIT. When Blomkamp’s concept art appeared on Instagram, one notable inclusion was that of Weaver, indicating that Ripley was an integral part of the story. She has even openly admitted that she thought Ripley never had the resolution that she really deserved. Looks like we’re going to finally see some redemption for the character.
We might be seeing Michael Biehn back in action as Corporal Hicks
After the character was almost unceremoniously killed in Alien 3, we thought we’d never see him again. Turns out, that may not be the case! Sigourney Weaver and Neill Blomkamp have both emphasised that they hope to bring back Michael Biehn in the upcoming sequel, the image above proving that Blomkamp’s vision of the film requires Biehn to reprise his role. When asked at a recent convention whether he would be involved in Alien 5, he replied with a smile “looks like it”. It’s not much, but we’re hanging on to the dream that this means that Hicks in back.
Ripley’s story will finally have some closure
Sigourney Weaver has been quite vocal with her displeasure on how the story left Ripley. That’s eighteen years of seeking closure, so we can’t imagine that she would take on this role if it didn’t mean her getting the thing she wanted most. Weaver has stated that she “would love to take Ripley out of sort of orbiting around in space and give her a proper finish to what was such an excellent story”. If the stars align (which we think they will) then Weaver will finally get that closure she (and us) deserves.
We’re back at the beginning
In Blomkamp’s concept art, we can recognise that iconic vessel the unfortunate crew of the Nostromo came across in the first film. It’s back somehow, and although it’s unclear as to what role it’s going to play in the film, given that it remained full of xenomorph eggs and is someway connected to the space jockey/engineer race, it seems like there’s going to be plenty of options. Blomkamp highlights that his entire concept is a “mental stroll through the world Ridley Scott created”, something that this concept art certainly embodies.
Stay tuned for more information as it comes…
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