Alien Director Admits He “Wrongly” Thought Franchise Died Decades Ago

Alien Director Admits He "Wrongly" Thought Franchise Died Decades Ago

As a die-hard fan of the Alien franchise, I have been through the rollercoaster ride that is its evolution. From the bone-chilling suspense of the first two installments to the questionable choices in later films, my allegiance to this saga has never wavered. Ridley Scott’s recent remarks about the beast wearing out left me feeling a pang of sympathy for the mastermind behind this terrifying creature.


The Alien series stands out as a unique case where many viewers believe that the initial two films are equally powerful, while subsequent installments, namely the third and fourth, received less favorable responses from both fans and critics. Even Ridley Scott, director of the original Alien, felt that the storyline concluded with Resurrection, despite believing it could rival franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek in popularity. However, Scott’s collaborations with Damon Lindelof sparked renewed interest in the concept, leading to Scott’s 2012 film Prometheus. More recently, the critical and financial success of Alien: Romulus this summer has further solidified Scott’s view that there is vast potential for further exploration of the series.

Ridley Scott believes he made an error in assuming the alien creature from the original Alien movie was worn out, as he was one of four directors involved in the initial films (including Jim Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet). He explained this to Total Film, as reported by GamesRadar. Scott found the alien partly by accident and believes it’s crucial for the film because if the creature wasn’t right, the movie wouldn’t have been successful, even with great acting. The alien can’t be like The Creature from the Black Lagoon or other similar creatures that are often poorly made. Scott aimed to avoid making a film filled with blood and gore without tension, which is easier to do than creating a tense film. Therefore, he let the alien die.

He added, “Reflecting upon it, I mused, ‘What a shame — this franchise is massive, possibly second only to Star Wars and Star Trek in scale — there’s still so much unexplored territory.’ So, I met with Damon Lindelof. We gathered at a table, spun a wheel to decide: where should we venture next? And our journey started with Prometheus.

Although there was a great deal of anticipation for Scott’s return to the series he initially developed, the films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant fell short in comparison to the first two installments. Regrettably, these prequels failed to effectively set the stage for the events depicted in Alien, as planned by Scott. He had intended to create at least one more sequel that would directly tie into Alien, but the mixed critical and commercial responses to Prometheus and Covenant put a damper on those plans.

Gladly, “Alien: Romulus” has been a smash success among viewers and critics alike. With the franchise moving forward into the TV series “Alien: Earth” next year, it’s safe to say that “Romulus” has opened doors for more epic cinematic adventures within this universe to be created.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of the Alien franchise.

How about the filmmaker’s comments? Reach out to Patrick Cavanaugh on Twitter or Instagram for a chat about everything related to Star Wars and horror! (Informal, friendly tone)

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2024-09-11 22:39