The Alien will feature in Alien: Covenant according to Ridley Scott. It almost seems daft that that would need clarifying but given the Alien-less direction that was Prometheus and the fact that the new Alien film started life as Prometheus 2, there was bound to be some confusion as to just what kind of creatures we would be seeing in the coming Alien: Covenant.
In a new interview with The Wrap, Ridley Scott has confirmed that the Prometheus sequel is definitely more of an Alien film: “Well, really it’s “Alien.” They’re going to go to the planet where the engineers came from, and come across the evolving creature that they had made. Why did they make it? Why would they make such a terrifying beast? It felt bio-mechanoid, it felt like a weapon. And so the movie will explain that, and reintroduce the alien back into it.”
Ridley Scott confirms the Alien will feature in Alien: Covenant in all it’s lifecycle.
Ridley Scott has talked about how he considered the Alien (the creature) to be done and no longer scary. Creative Assembly proved him wrong with Alien Isolation which was praised for returning Alien to its former horror glory. But the inclusion of the traditional Alien in Alien: Covenant has been in question for sometime because of Scott’s past comments. No longer though, as Scott confirms the Alien will feature in Alien: Covenant in all stages of its life cycle:
“There was always this discussion: Is Alien, the character, the beast, played out or not? We’ll have them all: egg, face-hugger, chest-burster, then the big boy. I think maybe we can go another round or two.”
Are you relieved that the Alien will be returning in a Ridley Scott film with Alien in title? Thanks to RakaiThwei and Bloody Disgusting for the news.
Some of those pics were really cool to see. Thanks for the post.
Certainly hasn't been seen
I vaguely remember some sort of artwork in the storyboards but I don't remember them ever doing the spider-style thing.
Here's a thread with some stuff in: http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=49640.0
Are there any images of this original Whedon Newborn design?
For me make that white and slightly translucent and that would have been a perfect Newborn
This would have been perfect. Something tells me the "big boy" is going to be something classic as well as fresh.
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11064859_861501840563923_8128088989394449130_n.jpg?oh=296a45f225b87f005ee0007540434233&oe=57127498
Simply put, the newborn lacks a certain je ne c'est quois. It's just not a compelling monster. Something is missing.
It wasn't meant to.
The new-born made sense in the context of the film. Even the design made sense. But I think most people will agree that the design fails to capture the elegance of Giger's seminal masterpiece.
The eyes were the biggest problem with the Newborn IMO. But unfortunately it made sense with the story seeing as how Ripley needed to relate to it as though it were human. She would not have been capable of that connection if it had no eyes.
...which is one of the main reasons that the 'Newborn' in Alien Resurrection was so ridiculous-looking. But I'll be removing the worst shots featuring it's eyes in my own planned re-edit of the movie, as it looks far more 'alien' and intimidating in the shots where it seems to only have dark eye-sockets with no eyes. I can't believe the makers added them in the first place, as the creature just left me cold with it's mournful, 'puppy-eyes'!
God, that would've been badass.
Another scene I've always lamented the loss of is when Golic sees the Alien as though distorted by imaginary flames and heat after he gets a faceful of Boggs' blood, then later when it's in the fire after the explosion it's distorted in exactly the same way. It would've tied nicely into the Dragon thing, but they dropped it for some reason.
Agreed. Although, there's a lot of scenes in A3 that are the best in the series. That film is definitely flawed, but there's still so many aspects and parts of that film that are brilliant.
-Windebieste
Like when we created DRAGONS.. it's inherently scary because of our roots.. snake mixed with tiger..mixed with hawk/eagle (large bird) all things that prey upon and hunt without conscience. All things that animals are afraid of mixed into one. There is a certain psychology there that I find neat.
Alien 3 has a couple lines calling the alien a "dragon" found this to be neat.
I guess it won't be done but its those moments where Ridley just let it run in Alien that are the best moments, no dialogue, no soundtrack, albeit with ambient atmospheric sounds in the background. The sort of scene where if someone knocks something off the table, i.e. in the med room in Aliens, you actually jump. And I'm not mixing it ups with quoting Aliens in there and defeating my own arguement, I'm supporting it as up until then in Aliens you were still dealing with the fear that Alien gave you. After the "this time its war" aliens kicked in it was an action film and the alien was demoted to a Jaws like creature that didn't scare me and then a jurassic park like creature with the queen. I think horror can be an art and if Ridley can make Covenant with an Alien that just makes you jumpy thinking about, then he's migrated it back into the darkness and fears of our subconsciousness and recreated the art of his original and showing reverence to Giger as an artist and not taking his art as illustration.
In my view the original translucent designs and the photos I've seen would be a good start to bring its disturbing mystery back to its horror roots.
Very good point. The concept of getting eaten or mauled to death by an animal is sort of part of our DNA. We fear it, but we're not horrified by it.
I agree with pretty much all of that. Especially about the cocoon scene. However I disagree about the display of dominance. I recall the original alien carrying out similar attack traits on Brett. During the scene with dillon (one of my favorites btw) there was blood spraying while they were intertwined. It looked to me like he was lacerating the coratid artery and jugular. I took this as more of a bloodlust or even an anger based attack because Dillon came in contact with the host vessel of the future queen.
Well this is a big risk. I mean we've been wondering about the Space Jockey since 1979, so if the reveal is not spectacularly compelling, it can be a let-down. As it is, I think it has divided the fans into 2 camps. I mean I think it is very cool that we actually found ourselves within the Engineers, but at the same time, the whole idea ceases to be very "alien". I mean, its us. If anything, we become alien, and perhaps that is an even greater shock...
I think speed can be useful, if it's done to give emphasis to viciousness. Aliens could go through groups of people like living chainsaw and it could be a terrifying sight - if it's done right.
The creature has always been a mixture of deliberate stalking and quick striking/abduction. Like a shark or spider.
With that said, I don't think the creature effects of 'Alien 3' managed to emulate that well. It just always looks fake and fails to sell the central premise of it being a living horror. A few really great instances of acting, but the monster stuff failed to convince.
Truly! The potential of the creature to do something unseen, yet worse to you than just acting like a lion/tiger/bear, has always worked wonders to elevate it above the villains from slasher films. It's always been a prospect which hovers at the back of your mind, every time you see a victim being taken.
We didn't originally see the cocoon sequence from 'Alien', but the possibility was still worked into other stuff. Saying how nothing was found around Dallas' flamethrower. Not knowing what the heck happened to Lambert. Then later, in 'Aliens', nothing even happens during the Marines' first foray into the colony, but it's kept really tense and those mentions of not finding any bodies, even amidst the sight of a last stand... It's seriously eerie, man.
The first might have been a haunted house, but by the time we follow them into the nest, the sequel has become like wandering into Dracula's crypt.
A lot of the power of the creature was diminished by completely removing those aspects. It turns up, randomly kills someone and then buggers off. It just... Feels very different. A dangerous animal, sure, but you know you're getting the kind of quick death the first two instalments deliberately hinted might not be a possibility for their victims.
The closest it came to that were the strange 'mauling'-like actions it was undertaking with the prisoners, but it was never clear what was going on during those (so much so, that parts of fandom began to speculate in the 1990s that it might have been attempting to emulate the 'humping' instinct of its canine host, to assert social dominance), because the actual bodies didn't seem to have any actual clothing or flesh removed. Especially during Dillon's death, when he's just angrily shouting, "Is that all you've got? Is that all you've got?!"
It's a world removed from the death scenes of Brett and Lambert, where you get the sense that just being close to the thing would make someone want to turn inside-out with primal revulsion.
If there had been a cocoon scene, it would have returned some much-needed undertones of dread to the creature's motivations, rather than the more simplistic opportunistic kills which we view.
Love the scene in the extended version when Ripley is found on the beach. It looks great!
And don't forget the scene where it's in the lead mold with ripley. Crazy with rage and as soon as Dillon touches her....pure focus.
That to me was terrifying. Not to mention when Dillon started to climb and it mirrored him all the way back down. The direct challenge between Dillon and the beast was to me a sign of purpose for the alien. I interpreted that scene as the alien protecting the queen embryo more so than just mindless killing machine.
But I'm am on the fence about the emergence of the xenomorph in the upcoming film. If not done properly I feel like they could smear the name farther than it already has been.
I share the same thoughts as corporal on this one as well and have to ask...what brought about the change. Why the sudden interest in going back to the xenomorph when he has clearly stated multiple times that he is done with the beast.
That would have been nice, but wasn't it there only to protect the queen in ripley?
I agree
Sadly thats because Giler and Hill kept changing everything. The amount of stuff they put in and took back out within a few days was exhaustingly confusing.
Also dont get me started on Hill and Giler lmao
Yeah, the loss of the cocoon scene really hurt the film.
It bothers me that that Alien didn't try to kidnap people instead.
I know. : )
The site actually features on the blu-ray.