Ridley Scott Seemingly Done With the Xenomorph in Future 'Alien' Films

The future of the Alien franchise might be uncertain, but based on director Ridley Scott's recent [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

The future of the Alien franchise might be uncertain, but based on director Ridley Scott's recent comments, the only thing we should expect is to not see another appearance from a xenomorph.

In the director roundtable discussion above, Scott claims, "We went to Covenant to perpetuate the idea and re-evolve the universe of the alien, who — I think the beast has almost run out, personally. You've got to come in with something else. You've got to replace that. And so I was right, I was ahead of the game."

With 2012's Prometheus, Scott had pursued the origins of the world he created with 1979's Alien, setting the stage for how such a ferocious monster could come into being. That film spent far more time exploring the concept of creator vs. creation than giving audiences a sci-fi survival thriller, leading to the film's negative reception.

The filmmaker followed that up with Covenant, a film which marketing materials teased would bring back the iconic xenomorph to wreak havoc once more. While that film did utilize the monster, it still disappointed some, hence Scott's comments about being "ahead of the game."

Scott's recent comments about moving on from the xenomorph echo the sentiments he expressed last month about his desire to move away from one specific creature to explore other integral elements of his films.

"I think the evolution of the Alien himself is nearly over," Scott explained to Empire Film Podcast. "But what I was trying to do was transcend and move to another story, which would be taken over by A.I.'s. The world that the AI might create as a leader if he finds himself on a new planet. We have actually quite a big layout for the next one."

Given the underwhelming critical and financial reception to his latest film, however, the franchise's days might be numbered. Similarly, Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to his 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner, failed to live up to financial expectations, serving as another reminder why some franchises should be left untouched.

Stay tuned for all updates about the future of the Alien franchise.

[H/T ScreenCrush]

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