Alien’s Most Divisive Movie Finally Gets a Sequel Update After 8 Years

Before the Alien franchise experienced a resurgence this decade with the releases of Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth, Ridley Scott brought the property back to the limelight with a pair of prequel films that debuted in the 2010s. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant expand the franchise’s scope by exploring the origins of the xenomorph and pondering deep philosophical questions. These movies were polarizing when they were first released, though in the years since, Prometheus has been re-evaluated by some who appreciate what Scott was aiming for. At one point, the legendary filmmaker had plans for a third Alien prequel to lead into the events of the original film. Now, several years later, he has an update on that project.

In a piece for The Guardian, Scott answered a series of fan questions. One inquired about the status of Gladiator 3 and a possible third Alien prequel. “Gladiator is in process right now,” Scott said. “Another Alien prequel – yeah, if I get an idea, for sure.”

Could Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant Sequel Ever Happen?

One of the reasons why an Alien: Covenant sequel never came to fruition is that Covenant earned a mixed reception. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 65% (third-lowest in the franchise), and it grossed $238.5 million worldwide. That box office haul is actually the third-highest of the series (unadjusted for inflation, of course), but it still represented diminishing returns. Prometheus earned $402.4 million globally. The divisive response to Prometheus seemed to turn general audiences off from Alien movies, leading to Covenant‘s lower gross.

Alien: Romulus proved to be more successful, bringing in $350.8 million worldwide. Many considered Romulus to be a return to form for the franchise, bringing it back to its horror-based roots. There was less of an emphasis on the larger meaning of life questions posed by Scott’s prequels; Romulus functioned more as a throwback, following a group of characters as they fought for survival. Similarly, the TV show Alien: Earth has earned positive reviews praising its terrifying tone and scary creature designs.

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An Alien: Romulus sequel is currently in development, though that film does not have a release date. Whether or not Scott’s third prequel happens will probably depend on Disney/20th Century Studios’ plans for the franchise moving forward. After Prometheus and Alien: Covenant divided audiences, the studio may not want to revive that series. Alien has established some positive momentum now, so the higher-ups might be inclined to keep things moving in that direction. Even though there are threads from Covenant still left unresolved, there seems to be more interest in picking up where Romulus left off.

Based on Scott’s comments, it also doesn’t appear as if another Alien movie is at the forefront of his mind. He says he’d be interested “if” he gets an idea, implying there isn’t a completed treatment for a film waiting to get off the ground. The ever-busy Scott has no shortage of projects he’s working on (including a third Gladiator), so time will tell if he’ll return to outer space. It would be a treat to see what he can come up with for a third Alien prequel, but there’s a chance the franchise itself has moved on.