James Cameron Isn't Impressed With Alien Franchise These Days

Prolific filmmaker (and box-office champion) James Cameron is expected to be back at the helm of the Terminator franchise in the coming years, and is even rumored to be teaming with Deadpool director Tim Miller.

But in the wake of those rumblings, Vulture caught up with Cameron—who's promoting his docu-series Atlantis Rising on the National Geographic—and asked the highest-grossing director of all time about another franchise he had a hand in.

Cameron, however, did not praise the direction of the Alien franchise after he and creator Ridley Scott made their marks with the first two films.

"The franchise has kind of wandered all over the map," Cameron said.

He conceded that Scott inspired a whole generation of filmmakers with the original Alien, but everything in its wake has been derivative.

"I don't think it's worked out terribly well," Cameron elaborated. "I think we've moved on beyond it. It's like, okay, we've got it, we've got the whole Freudian biomechanoid meme. I've seen it in 100 horror films since."

Cameron stated that his own sequel Aliens was a "proper heir" to Scott's classic horror film and that he wanted to honor what came before him while making his own statement, but "after that, I don't take any responsibility."

"I think both of those films stand at a certain point in time, as a reference point," Cameron added. "But is there any validity to doing another one now? I don't know. Maybe. Let's see, jury's out."

He added that he's a fan of Scott's work as a director and producer and that he'd see any movie by that creator including Alien: Covenant.

"I will stand in line for any Ridley Scott movie, even a not-so-great one, because he is such an artist, he's such a filmmaker," Cameron said. "I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own franchise would be fascinating."

Director Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the "synthetic" David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

The cast features Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, and Benjamin Rigby.

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Alien: Covenant hits theaters May 19th.