Did you know that 20th Century Fox was working on a fifth installment of the Alien franchise? Nope, I don’t mean a sequel to Prometheus or another Aliens Vs. Predator, a mean a proper Alien 5, with Sigourney Weaver returning as Ellen Ripley, presumably fighting off xenomorphs again. Well, it seems that neither did they, but as recently as March of last year, director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) was working on a new Alien film, possibly to pitch to the studio, as he just posted a ton of concept art for the movie via his Instagram account.
There are interesting ideas in these images, like Ripley wearing some kind of xenomorph style helmet, the derelict ship from Ridley Scott’s original film being dissected in some kind of hangar bay, and Hicks, Michael Biehn’s character from Aliens, alive and well. Does this mean Blomkamp’s proposed movie was looking to just ignore Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection? Considering both of those films’ reputations with fans, I doubt if many folks would mind if both of those films end up just being nightmares Ripley had while in cryo-sleep.
So what makes anyone think this Alien film will turn out any better than the last two? Well, for a few years Fox had a bad reputation of being a micro-managing studio, one that simply didn’t know how to handle their biggest franchises properly. It was during this era that we got the last two lackluster Alien films, Tim Burton’s lame attempt at a Planet of the Apes reboot, and X-Men: The Last Stand/X-Men:Origins Wolverine.
However, due to regime changes at the studio over the last few years, Fox has made a pretty big turnaround. X-Men: First Class and Rise of the Planet of the Apes were terrific films that gave those two franchise a creative shot in the arm, which resulted in last year’s equally excellent X-Men: Days of Future Past and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Can Fox do the same creative turnaround with the Alien series? Outside of the X-Men and Apes movies, the Alien films are among Fox’ most well known and profitable sci-fi franchises. It’s not an IP they’re going to let lay dormant forever, and there are worse choices to give it a proper revival than Neill Blomkamp.
On his Instagram, Blomkamp said, “Was working on this. Don’t think I am anymore. Love it though.” This unfortunately suggests he’s moved on from the project. If I were Fox though, I’d reconsider whatever pitch he had right about now. Those concept pics look pretty cool.
HT [Instagram via Comic Book Movie]
I WANT ALIEN 5 MOVIE ACTION FIGURES FOR THE ALIEN 5 MOVIE.
I actually thought Aliens 3 and 4 were done well, in their own right. They can totally do this even with keeping it aligned with the story lines from 3, and 4.
If they cloned Ripley from DNA in blood vials on Fury 161 to bring her back in Aliens 4, they could do the same thing with blood from Hicks. I know hicks died from being impaled in the EEV when they crashed on Fury 161 in Aliens 3, but they could have gotten his blood too in the medbay before he was incinerated. The same Weyland crew that came for Ripley at the end of Aliens 3 could have raided the EEV unit and the Medbay to get what they need to clone Hicks.
The Jockey Ship can get collected from LV-426 by Weyland and taken into some research center. I know Hadley’s Hope had been nuked at the end of Alien’s 2, but the Jockey Ship could have been a safe distance to have still remained intact… dozens more theories for how they could use this content in a potential Alien 5. They just need to do it!
You know, it always bugs me how they show Hicks (I assume its him in that picture) with his face all scared up. I’ve watched Aliens at least 100 times and Hicks gets splashed in the chest/shoulder area, with maybe a little bit in the face region. Yes his face is all bandaged up later but I assume that’s because it was a field dressing. Always seems they overdo it with the facial scaring. Even the very early Dark Horse comics did it that way. I liked those comics but that was one thing that always bugged me.Oh and if we are going to do away with the movies after Aliens (which I’m totally OK with) they should also scrap all the Aliens vs Predator movies. Sheer crap that spit in the face of the original.
“…And found something which has never been reported once from over three hundred surveyed worlds… ‘a creature… (she reads from Ripley’s statement) … that gestates inside a living human host,’ these are your words, ‘and has concentrated acid for blood.'”
He took a good dose to the face
Sign the petition to get this noticed by FOX: http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/01/neill-blomkamp-shares-concept-artwork-alien-movie-featuring-ripley-hicks.html
Maybe they could call it Alien:Dimensions – whereby somehow there is a rip in the Universe and we have seen how one aspect pans out, but what if there was alternative Ripley/Hicks/Newt heading towards a different outcome? Gotta be better than Bobby Ewing’s 4 year shower! LOL
Is that a Halo helmet next to the Xeno’s head in the last image?
yeah,he was linked to direct a Halo film a few years back
can you guys fix your image viewer so we can scroll continuously through the photos you post? that shit is super annoying.
God anybody else but this hack director stay away from my damn aliens and stick to your shrimp.
My dream would be for them to trash Alien 3 and 4 and make William Gibson’s Alien 3. Maybe have like the cryotubes crack or something to explain why Michael Biehn and Ripley are so much older. Having a Hicks centric movie would be tits yo!
Right on el!That Alien script of Gibson’s was fantastic. It evolved the alien infection to something even more gruesome than a chestbuster.
I was obsessed with the Aliens world as a kid. The second movie was my favorite! and although the following movies were good because it was Aliens. I found the third one to be really depressing…I was really sad that after all that, Hicks and Newt die. I always hoped they’d re-do the story line. Maybe with some Ripley and hicks romance. I dunno…I would be excited for another go with Ripley..she was my hero!
i remeber the comics taking place while they were on their way home and not in cryo newt grew and bishop still half the man. that would have been a better alien movie than those horrible directions