Even though it’s at least three years away, Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 movie is still shrouded in rumor. Although Sigourney Weaver is expected to return, initial reports indicated that Blomkamp’s currently untitled Alien sequel would ignore the events of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection, and simply follow up on the second movie. Blomkamp personally denied the rumor and reiterated that it wasn’t his intention to “rewrite history†for the franchise.
However, Blomkamp clearly seems eager to revisit some aspects of the franchise’s past. In a recent Instagram post, Blomkamp unveiled the slightly redesigned M41A Pulse Rifle that made its debut in Aliens.
In Aliens, Hicks (Michael Biehn) described the specs of the gun: “Ten millimeter, with over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launcher,†and added that it was his “personal friend.†The M41A Pulse Rifle was also briefly glimpsed at the end of Alien 3, and it has reappeared in the Aliens video games.
The updated design for the M41A Pulse Rifle now includes a telescopic sight and a laser aiming module, which should make shooting aliens just a little bit easier.
It’s not currently known how Blomkamp’s Alien sequel will address the events of the earlier films, but the concept art that Blomkamp released featured an aged Ripley and Hicks fighting aliens together, which led many to assume that Hicks’ death was being retconned.
Ridley Scott is also planning his own Alien movie: Alien: Paradise Lost, the new incarnation of Prometheus 2 with Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace returning from the first Prometheus. Alien: Paradise Lost is expected to begin filming early next year. It’s unknown when Blomkamp will officially begin production of his Alien 5 film.
Alien fans, are you happy to see the M41A Pulse Rifle again? Lock and load before leaving a comment below!
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Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Neil Blomkamp
