We recently asked whether an Alien: Romulus sequel could coexist with Ridley Scott’s plans to create a follow-up to Alien: Covenant.
Our preference was to continue from Romulus, a simple yet effective Alien film which pitted the menacing xenomorph against a terrified gaggle of humans.
What we didn’t want was a blended sequel continuing the stories of both Covenant and Romulus.
In the words of Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin: “Well, there goes that dream.”
Scott has ‘gone back in’ to rewrite ‘Alien: Romulus’ sequel
Alien: Romulus made more money than Covenant, and for the most part, received more critical acclaim.
Yet, here we are.
Plans to get a Romulus sequel moving have stalled, and now Scott is stepping back in.
Scott revealed in an interview with The L.A. Times that he was picking up the story of Michael Fassbender’s villainous android David, confirming he was working on a Covenant sequel.
Now, thanks to a conversation with the French outfit AlloCiné, Scott has revealed he’s taking that story to rehash the Romulus follow-up, believing the Alien franchise needs course-correcting.
“Actually, I suddenly went back and got involved,” Scott said.
“The one that just came out [Alien: Romulus] was OK. I think it needs some help. So, I’ve gone back in.
“I’ve already got a footprint for the next Alien. We did Prometheus, and then Alien: Covenant. So, I’m picking up where we left off in Covenant with Michael Fassbender, who now thinks he’s Ozymandias.”
Can Scott deliver a strong ‘Alien’ sequel?
Let’s play devil’s advocate
Alien: Romulus worked because it was familiar to what had gone before, particularly Aliens.
Prometheus and Covenant, meanwhile, appear more marmite amid strides to deepen franchise lore.
So, yes, it’s a shame we won’t continue in the vein of Romulus, even if it did feel like a one-and-done story.
Perhaps that’s why its sequel stalled.
Let’s also not forget that Scott’s original Alien film is one of the great pieces of 20th-century cinema.
He should be commended for trying something different, but at times his explorations with the franchise lore have appeared convoluted and diluted the scares.
We’ve also seen in the TV series Alien: Earth that if you add too many ingredients, you can eliminate the threat and impact of the xenomorph entirely.
Still, if Scott can stay on the right side of his 50/50 split of hits and misses, an Alien: Covenant follow-up should hit the mark.
Fassbender’s David is a truly sinister villain as well, perfectly suited to the talented actor.
It’s time for Scott to turn up his antics to 11, and make the xenomorph as scary as it was when it first burst out of John Hurt’s chest.
READ MORE – ‘The Dog Stars’ review: Ridley Scott delivers a safe but sound dystopian flick
