“Is there any validity to doing another one now?” asks James Cameron about Alien: Covenant in a new interview with Vulture. The interview is primarily about the current state of America and Cameron’s interest in Atlantis but Variety didn’t forget to ask James Cameron what he thought about Sir Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien: Covenant:
“The franchise has kind of wandered all over the map. Ridley [Scott] did the first film, and he inspired an entire generation of filmmakers and science-fiction fans with that one movie and there have been so many films that stylistically have derived from it, including my own Aliens, which was the legitimate sequel and, I think, the proper heir to his film. I sort of did it as a fanboy. I wanted to honor his film, but also say what I needed to say. After that, I don’t take any responsibility.
I don’t think it’s worked out terribly well. I think we’ve moved on beyond it. It’s like, okay, we’ve got it, we’ve got the whole Freudian biomechanoid meme. I’ve seen it in 100 horror films since. I think both of those films stand at a certain point in time, as a reference point. But is there any validity to doing another one now? I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s see, jury’s out. Let’s see what Ridley comes up with.”
“Is there any validity to doing another one now?” asks James Cameron about Alien: Covenant in a new interview with Vulture.
This is a pretty interesting comment from Cameron as back in June he spoke out in favor of a different Alien film, Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5, describing Blomkamp’s script as “work[ing] gangbusters.” Cameron and Scott were even working together on a potential Alien 5 during the early 2000’s (as you can read over at AvP Galaxy staff member Valaquen’s blog, Strange Shapes) before giving up after learning that 20th Century Fox was working on an Alien vs. Predator film.
In regards to Ridley Scott and Alien: Covenant, Cameron does add that: “I will stand in line for any Ridley Scott movie, even a not-so-great one, because he is such an artist, he’s such a filmmaker. I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own franchise would be fascinating.”
Thanks to Pvt. Himmel for the news. Keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest on Alien: Covenant! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien fans on our forums!
The final nail in the coffin was Jake's voice over telling us everything had changed. Just in case we missed it.
I was willing that movie to surprise me at some point, all the way till the end. It didn't.
Oh and no I do not have Ridley Scott bed sheets! nor undies. not even that much of a blade runner fan for that matter. I'mma Alien fan, here at a Alien vs Predator website... Avatar belongs in the General film thread. I don't mean that. It's just that some are defending it a little too hard. I honestly gave up several post ago.
What I mean by that is that I'm not out to win here.
How sad.
FYI - I'm not SiL, Herr isSmart, so I didn't say Avatar was "fresh" in the first place. However, in this instance it's an appropriate adjective. As I've said earlier, I found Avatar painfully predictable - but it could literally go anywhere with sequels and with the box office popularity of the first one, making sequels is pretty *ahem* smart.
You might not be interested, but again, that's not the least bit relevant. Plenty of people didn't give a shit about Alien, look where we are now.
And how do you get "endless possibilities" from Avatar? It's such a derivative, cliched, boring film. The only promising thing about it that has me looking forward to anything it could produce is merely the technological aspects that it trailblazed. That's it. Idea-wise, it's a dry well off the get-go.
That's okay. I wouldn't call you smart.
The Alien movie have been consistently OK at best and terrible at worst for over two decades now. Asking whether there's much point in continuing is fine. Even a lot of fans think they should give it a rest.
Covenant might turn it around. Might not. But for now, the track record is looking pretty miserable.
The number of a series isn't always important, versus content. The Alien universe, to me, is a lot more interesting than Avatar. I can't stand the lore and writing in that film. I don't care if it's the first film in the series. That doesn't mean anything. Neither doesn't Covenant being at the end of a long-running series. Hell, just look at James Bond. Been around for over 50 years and still making good films.
/thread
That's where the question is coming from. Avatar has no sequels. There's everywhere for it to go, for now. That'll shrink after each movie. But for now it's an open slate and he can put whatever creativity he wants into it.
The Alien films have already got a long history of increasingly disappointing films, with one uptick right at the end. It's fine to ask if this particular franchise, with its track record, has much left in it, while working on something that is otherwise fresh.
I have no interest in Avatar. That of course can change, I might even like it. Still sticking with my "foot in da mouth" opinion.
The man can say what he wants, and the fact that he's making sequels in and of itself has nothing to do with my skepticism . I don't think his question is without merit, but again, barring Prometheus, the last Alien film was made in 1997, right? It's been awhile. It's not like Cameron, himself, who's planning on churning one of these Avatar films out every two years without questioning his own motives under the same light, or the rumors behind him resurrecting the Terminator series, after many sub-par outings (all of which I enjoyed, on some level).
I just don't understand his question, given his own actions.
Is anything necessary? Gee, I don't know, Cameron. Ask that question of Shakespeare filmmakers, or Jane Austen nuts. TO them, it certainly is, because they enjoy it, just like you apparently enjoy making Avatar films. It just seems like a rhetorical question what's generated some friction from people who are more invested in the Alien series than Cameron is. Frankly I don't think he cares very much about anything except his own projects, right now, and merely offers Ridley some respect, regardless, because the man is his predecessor and a trailblazer.
People can criticise Cameron's comments, but the "lol he's making sequels he should shut up about sequels" shit is dumb.
I wouldn't say that he is a hypocrite - but I will say this, if - say - Neill Blomkamp made his Aliens movie, with Ripley, Hicks and Newt, and it was good, or looked good (he'd need to change some things, in my opinion) - Jim would quite likely throw up his hands and be like, "fine." It is quite obvious from his comments that he was referring to Blomkamp's film, he's obviously got misgivings about it.
This is exactly why an alternative telling of the story IMO is justified (read retcon). It's not like doing that would trample over some sacred vision of the author. If you were to take the Harry Potter series and try to retcon a section, I'd say that's unjustified, but the Aliens series? Anything goes (as long as it's not Alien or Aliens). I agree with Cameron that those two films are the primary building blocks of the series.
he's godd*mm right he is.
i never got that stupid episode on mythbusting that scene as you completely ignore that the entire movie was factually incorrect.
that's why cameron is right to mention he gave her a seat on the liferaft, but the dumb b*tch killed jack right there by getting off that f*cking lifeboat,
to then stay on a floating door or whatever it was and see jack die from the cold water, only to later be rescued to board a LIFEBOAT again.
alone, but this time, THANKS TO HER, jack's dead.
for f*cks sake, if she stayed on that effing boat, he could have climbed himself onto a door and float untill the search party came and he'd be ALIVE.
it's the stupidest thing to happen and its covered up by the idea that it was romantic. it was stupid and dumb.
and then mythbusters - short of ideas - follows this dumb idea and presents a even more retarded solution without taking into account reality. tells you all about the show, really. it's not factual, it's entertainment, and then the even dumber braindead general population thinks mythbusting is scientific and then cameron gets shots fired by these nonsense, like has been done to other actors, directors, etc. from these retard episodes.
kudos to cameron for saying it like it is. burn them.
http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/james-cameron-titanic.html?mid=twitter_vulture
"They're fun guys and I loved doing that show with them, but they're full of shit."
I'm in the same boat. I don't see the hypocrisy. He clearly had some definite ideas for a cohesive vision for the 'Avatar' series and is going to try and do something about it. The 'Alien' films are very different. There was no one world-building vision, just lots of different people getting hired to make their own differing contributions.
One series has a proverbial shepard in the process of steering it in a particular direction. The other never did and its integrity has suffered as a consequence.
Yeah, absolutely. It's got to that point though now where it's upsetting certain people, cause we're misconstruing what James Cameron said. My fault I should never have shared another link!
Ultimately, this is true. Unless Covenant somehow ends up being supremely inventive and a cracking prequel/follow up.
But his backhanded compliment was aces. Or gangbusters.
We can buy tickets for Covenant without approving of what it represents: fan-baiting.
It sounds like Cameron is in the same boat as any Alien fan, except that he knows Ridley personally. He is articulating the same stuff I feel, but he has to be careful about saying it in public because Ridley is a friend.
Yea it isn't a big deal.
^
"...is there any validity to doing another one now?"
with:
"I will stand in line for any Ridley Scott movie, even a not-so-great one, because he is such an artist, he's such a filmmaker. I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own franchise would be fascinating."
I don't see the big deal.
-Windebieste.
Plus, I dunno if it's because I where glasses, but those floaty flowery things in Avatar that everyone oohed and aahed about just looked like blurry blobs.
I remember really looking forward to Phantom Menace in 3D, but apart from the opening titles, the 3D angle was just meh. You need to have shit popping out of the screen every now and then. No movie was ever made better by 3D.
Except Jaws 3D. That was f**king ace in 3D.
Maybe Cameron is looking for what's next.
We have one 3D-TV and have only ever used it on its test channel. It was nausea inducing.
Had Cameron picked up the pace on his films, maybe it would have made a difference?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4170040/Major-3D-TV-manufacturers-scrapping-sets.html
I think Cameron was focusing on the new tech to deliver the movie instead of the story. It's his Phantom Menace some have said though I enjoy that film. I'm thinking of picking up a copy of it on Amazon for a $1.
"Cameron says sequels to one series aren't necessary while making sequels to another series! LOL WHAT A HYPOCRITE!!"
This is why I hate Internet commentary. People who can't string together a logical argument are given massive platforms to convince others that their inability to interpret information is insight.
Must say I share the sentiments of this report.
The additional 'Future Earth' scenes make for a far, far better beginning to the movie in my opinion, and give a satisfyingly grimy juxtaposition before we get to the lush 'Pandora' planet. I really wish that intro. hadn't been cut for the theatrical release version.
Similarities in monsters doesn't change anything in the Alien life cycle though.
Covenant occurs in 2103 and Alien in 2122 I believe.
60+ years, isn't there? He's making the trilogy and this is the second movie.