There is a little more information about Neill Blomkamp’s Alien sequel in April 2015’s issue of Empire Magazine. In the article, Blomkamp confirms what we guessed already – the film won’t be called “Alien 5” but doesn’t say what as that would give too much away about the film: “It’s kinda quite bold, but it gives away too much if I say the title”. Secondly, Alien 5 won’t ‘tread on the toes of Prometheus 2’ and Blomkamp changed one thing in his film that Ridley Scott felt was ‘bumping into Prometheus 2‘. Well, it’s no secret that Blomkamp was possibly going to have references to the Space Jockeys / Engineers as the Derelict Spacecraft was featured in his concept art. So has that now been removed or toned down?
Derelict
Lastly, Blomkamp again reiterates that his Alien movie will be a true sequel to the first two: “Where it went after Aliens to me, as a fan, was wrong”. The new Alien film will be “the triplet of the first two. There’s a shitload missing as a fan that I would want to see”. The new issue of Empire Magazine is on sale this week. We’ll try to get scans of it if it contains something else. Thanks to Nightmare Asylum for the news.
Honestly, it's a much less stressful way to live your life when it comes to films.
No one is taking away your right to complain!
I also reserve the right to complain about it being a retcon until we know 100% for sure that's what it is.
And that's fine. But if Blomkamp saying that he wasn't going to undo Alien 3 and Resurrection but is not following those movies, then what else can you call it? I don't see it as a retcon. So then, what is it?
Look, guys... I understand your frustrations. I do. I truly do.. But I'm just trying to see a silver lining in all of this.
That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying your bringing up ACM in response to Corporal disliking a retcon is completely pointless, because I'm willing to bet hard cash the game will have zero influence on the movie Blomkamp is making.
The game would likewise have zero influence if they chose to simply do something new without Hicks and just avoid the whole continuity clusterf*ck altogether. ACM is a moot point.
You say that as though that's the only alternative we have...
To be fair, were you happy with A:CM's revive Hicks angle? I figure this film will still be better received than that game no matter what.
Particularly this. People keep bringing up Godzilla or superhero and horror film series that have done retcons, but tonally they come across as totally different to the Alien series. They're just a different kettle of fish. No one talks about the serious continuity of Halloween. No one cares about the over-arching story of Godzilla, after the first couple it's just about big monsters smashing stuff up (which applies equally to the retcon series). Superhero stories are notorious for arbitrarily undoing things like death (a reason I generally dislike the genre - if characters just come back all the time, what threat does death pose?)
Alien is different to those franchises. The films, despite being sci-fi, are grounded in a very serious reality and form a continuous story, half of which they're apparently now saying, "Nah, didn't happen." I just don't personally think an alternate-history retcon fits into the Alien franchise in an intelligent way. It really does come off as cheap fanfic stuff. I mean, they could so easily just ignore the current films and go somewhere else in an unobtrusive way, and make a great film. So why go down the route of just writing off stuff when it cheapens everything?
For all Resurrection's flaws, I thought Ripley's return was one of the more interesting things and cloning never felt out of place in that reality. We can clone now.
This isn't grounded in reality. Or in the reality of the series. It's not like Star Trek or Stargate where they have access to other timelines where things went differently.
Don't get me wrong, I will watch the film and I'll be happy to see Hicks back and if it's an awesome film, all the better. But I'll always be disappointed at taking this particular angle.
"Oh no, my favourite character died! Hope they make another one later where they didn't."
It's also pretty hard to immerse an audience into any sort of universe when they're constantly aware of alternate timelines they could be watching instead. Alien sells its fantastical elements by trying to make its world feel real -- how the hell do you manage that when your opening scene basically amounts to "BUT WHAT IF THAT OTHER STUFF DIDN'T HAPPEN?"
That's not reality, that's shitty fanfiction.
I have to ask... how does having more than one continuity cheapen things? If anything, I think it's liberating. Why be a slave to it when creators and fans can pick and choose where to continue from as far as here on in is concerned?
Exactly!
Indeed. Was never arguing it didn't happen. Just that didn't want it to happen because of above.
Already named one of them!
It isn't new here either, though. Superman did it. Numerous slasher franchisees did it.
I knew I wasn't crazy and alone in thinking this was what could be happening!
I wanted to address this.. there are some Western franchises which have done this. Namely, Halloween, Robocop and Highlander. Just to name a few. Might as well add Alien-Predator to that list.
Considering that Godzilla has a very strong following in the West and East, even having a convention in the franchise's honor, G-Fest, I would say that Godzilla does have quite the stature, respect and acclaim which Alien does. Also if you like that metaphorical bull in your movies, Godzilla has that too.. Namely the original 1954 and 1985 sequel.
Just sayin'.
Also, the Ultraman series has done this many times.
And someone OTHER than myself sees what's possibly happening here!
And it would be fantastic if the Alien films could enjoy the same stature, respect, and critical acclaim that the Godzilla movies do.
No one considers that a fix, nobody.
The context of the Alien 3 Blu-Ray Menu is the real official fix if there must be one.
But I do believe it's the only way the film is going to go to with what information we have available to us.
'Most likely' ain't facts!
Oh not to worry, I definitely know where the news is - though I don't post a lot, I visit the site every day. I just had to call Predxeno out on his 'Blomkamp has stated upfront that his film will take place in an alternate universe'.
Which is easily fixable. Just a shame they didn't put effort into conveying it.
Whilst I still dislike the idea of the alternate universe - it's still the only way the only way Blomkamp can go with what he's said of his intentions so far.
Clemens, you can find all the recent news here: http://www.avpgalaxy.net/category/alien-5-news/
He doesn't explicitly say it but it seems pretty damn inevitable with his comments so far.
Not entirely true - http://www.metacritic.com/movie/prometheus 6.5 from users and critics.
I always imagined the queen just shoots 'em out like the ping-pong ball girl in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
LOL no.
Magic egg.
Yeah, this.
Hardly new, certainly, and I suppose easily taken in stride by the comic book community. I guess my failing is that a part of me still sees the Alien series as a series of serious films. But maybe I should have let that go post- Alien 3.
Didn't you get your medical license revoked for a morphine addiction?
I kinda knew you'd come along with that stuff again. 'Godzilla'. 'Robocop'. You'd put these things on the same level as Alien? Might as well throw Scooby-Doo in there, too.
Exactly. Like how the Heisei Godzilla movies ignored everything from Godzilla Raids Again to Terror of Mecha-Godzilla, rendered all of that as an alternate timeline. If anything... all things Alien related might as well be looked at like that.
I'm personally not clinging to anything - I've had nothing invested in the series, really, since the end credits of Alien 3. But at some point, Blomkamp is going to have to stand up and say 'yes, this is an alternate timeline', or 'no, I've thought of a way to work around 3 & 4'...
That's the quote I'm waiting for!
People are clinging way too much to his mention that he's not trying to undo 3 and Res, which in the context he said it in came across as "I'm not doing my movie just to retcon the third and fourth films, I just want to follow up on Aliens the way I'd like to see the story go."
I don't 'believe' anything. I would simply like to see you back up these 'facts' of yours. You said earlier that Blomkamp stated upfront that his film will be in an alternate universe...
When? Where?
No, you're not getting off that easy. This 'alternate universe' stuff is your own mind making sense of it. I want you to link me to a quote where Blomkamp says he's taking the 'alternate universe' route, as opposed to the 'I'm just gonna ignore the sequels' or the 'it was all a dream' route.