Well, no one expected this, did they? Against all odds, it seems we’re getting another sequel to Aliens.
Yeah, there’s a lot of hate out there for Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. And while we can’t speak for the quality of Resurrection, we do feel that while Alien 3 is a solid Alien movie… it’s a pretty disappointing sequel to Aliens. Well, Neil Blomkamp feels the same way, which is why we’re getting the sequel to Aliens everyone wanted in the first place: Alien 5!
[Update 11/23/2015]: We’ve updated the “Will Newt Return?”, “Will The Movie Count Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection?” and the “When is it coming out?” sections below with information from a recent interview with Michael Biehn.
What’s the title of the movie?
At the moment, the film is being referred to as Alien 5, though one of initial concept art pieces referred to the film as Alien Xeno. We assume both are working titles and the actual name with be something along the lines of Alien: Insert Subtitle Here.
Who’s writing and directing?
Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium, Chappie) is writing and directing.
Who’s been cast?
At the moment, we only know that Sigourney Weaver (Ripley) and Michael Biehn (Corporal Dwayne Hicks) are pretty much on board. Hicks seems to have got himself some nasty acid scars thanks to his final encounter with an Alien in an elevator in Aliens.
Will Newt Return?
[Update 11/23/2015] In a recent interview with Icons of Fright, Michael Biehn confirmed that Newt’s return was indeed a pivotal part of the story:
“I think when they put that out there and have pictures with me as Hicks again, people were excited and though I’m not into online stuff much, my kids saw a lot about it on Reddit. They were excited. They’re planning on bringing me and Newt back and at this point Newt will be around twenty-seven years old. I know that every actress in Hollywood is going to want to play this one, it’s really a passing of the torch between Sigourney and this younger actress who would play Newt.”
We doubt Carrie Henn would return to play Newt as she retired from acting after filming Aliens. There are plenty of great actresses out there who could definitely fill the part, however.
What’s the story?
We only don’t know. The movie got started when Blomkamp posted some concept art he had commissioned himself, but it drummed up enough interest to get official backing. Here are the pieces in question:
What story can we put together from this art?
Well, it seems that the Weyland Yutani Corporation that plagued Ripley in the original films is back, and this time they have a Space Jockey (or Engineer, if you prefer) ship. We’re also willing to bet based on these pictures that Ripley and Hicks will be taking the fight to the company this time.
Will the Alien be back?
Well, based on the fact the derelict seems to be in the film, which was filled with eggs… not to mention the shots of the Alien Queen looking pretty darn pissed… we’re gonna guess the Xenomorph will be returning with a vengeance.
How long after Aliens will Alien 5 take place?
We honestly don’t know, but like many films that are acting as sequels to 80s properties these days (like Tron Legacy), we’re willing to bet the film will take place about 30 years after Aliens – the same amount of time that’s passed in real life.
Will The Movie Count Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection?
See, this is where things get murky. We have conflicting reports on that front. In an interview with Sky Movies, Blomkamp seems to want to skip over Alien 3 and Resurrection:
“I want this film to feel like it is literally the genetic sibling of Aliens – so it’s Alien, Aliens, this movie.”
Doesn’t leave a lot of room for the other two, does it? Well, in another interview with AlloCine at around the same time Blomkamp said:
“My favorites are the first two movies, so I want to make a film that’s connected to Alien and Aliens. That’s my goal. I’m not trying to undo Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection, I just want it to be connected to Alien 1 and 2.”
Our best guess based on these comments is that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection will in fact be discarded, leaving us with two separate timelines for Ripley that diverge after the end of Aliens. After all, Hicks and Ripley pretty definitively died in Alien 3… so the only way to bring the actual characters back would be to ignore that film.
[Update 11/23/2015] In Michael Biehn’s interview with Icons of Fright, he confirmed Alien 5 would disregard Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection:
“They’re talking about doing another Aliens movie, with Neill Blomkamp, and Fox came and announced it and Sigourney (Weaver) has come out and announced it. The basic idea is acting like Alien 3 and 4 never existed, so if you go on Neill Blomkamp’s site, everyone can see all of the artwork for that.”
Will Alien 5 tie into Alien: Paradise Lost?
Sir Ridley Scott, director of the masterful original film, is producing both films, so we think it’s a possibility there will be ties. After all, both seems to touching on the Space Jockeys/Engineers, but both stories are also separated by decades … so it’s probably best not to expect anything too direct.
Anything else we should know?
Blomkamp posted the updated pulse rifle that will be making its debut in Alien 5, complete with an awesome new Rail Interface System (RIS) that will allow for various attachments including sights, lights, and other upgrades:
Makeup and Creature Effects artist Tom Woodruf Jr., who has spent some time in the xenomorph suit, has posted a picture of himself posing as Hicks in Blomkamp’s concept art in an attempt to bring it to life:
When is it coming out?
[Updated 10/30/15]: Unfortunately, according to Neill Blomkamp himself it appears as though the film is on hold pending Alien: Paradise Lost:
There’s been some rumors that this would happen, as for whether this delay is indefinite remains to be seen.
[Updated 11/1/15]: Neill Blomkamp is in talks to write and direct an adaptation of “The Gone World,” which means that continued development of Alien 5 could be a few years out. Not a good sign for the film, unfortunately.
[Update 11/23/2015]: Michael Biehn updated us with his thoughts and info regarding the film’s status:
“I know Ridley Scott is doing his movie first and is going to be the executive producer on this one, so I’m really looking forward to that. I know that Ridley’s focus is on the second Prometheus and I’m sure that he and Fox both don’t want that and Neill’s movie to come out right next to each other, because they’re kind of two different worlds, with Aliens taking place thousands of years later, which is how they explained it all to me, but at the same time, they want to give them a similar feel. I know they’re putting the brakes on Neill’s movie just for a little while, but I really think that it would be embarrassing to Ridley and Fox and Sigourney if they just didn’t make the movie.”
Hopefully, Mr. Biehn will be proven correct very soon.
