Why did Fox go with Ridley instead of Blomkamp?

[Kimo]

Prometheus and The Martian did really well.

Elysium and Chappie did alright.

Not hard to see why they'd pick one over the other.

I just hope you are the one to direct the next AVP film SiL.

Blomkamp is young and still has plenty of years ahead of him to give us his fanboy Alien(s) movie.

Sigourney Weaver is 67 

They don't do a Alien film with her in it within the next 3 years and she will probably won't be able to. She's getting old...I don't want Sigourney leavin us either too soon without another Alien film 

If Fox greenlit Blomkamp Alien(s) film back when he was showing his promotion art off. Then I could see Weaver and Bean having mayjor roles in it. But it's been put on hold for god knows how long, and it's very unlikely it's going to happen anytime soon, now that Blomkamp has said so himself in his Tweet.

If Blomkamp is a real Fanboy he will wait for Fox to give him the go ahead and that might be years down the line. And Weaver might not even be around by then? I'm sure Blomkamp has an idea for an Alien film without Weaver. Because he's got to at one point thought that Weaver may not of been interested in doing another film.

Personally I think Blomkamp is a good visual director and he could probably do justice to an Aliens film. I just hope his future movies bring big money in for the studio's. Elysium I thought was great, but was shocked it never did that well at the box office. Chappie had too many problems and the film suffered at the box office. I just hope he continues to have the success that District 9 had so he can get his future Alien(s) film off the ground with or without Sigourney Weaver. I just hope he don't get left with a sour taste in his mouth for Fox not green lighting it, or making him wait.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Even the roundly caned Exodus Gods and Kings made $268m.

Against a production budget of $145 million. Which is why the planned sequel, "King David" got canned.

If Fox greenlit Blomkamp Alien(s) film back when he was showing his promotion art off. Then I could see Weaver and Bean having mayjor roles in it. But it's been put on hold for god knows how long, and it's very unlikely it's going to happen anytime soon, now that Blomkamp has said so himself in his Tweet.

Just a quick recap of Alien 5's troubled production history so far:

It was officially greenlit less than a month after "showing his promotion art off". After which Blomkamp spent approximately 9 months on pre-production during which time he produced the first draft of the script, had meetings with Scott, Weaver and Biehn, looked at studio space availability and produced a mock-up of a modified pulse rifle and quite likely a lot of other pre-production work and preparation.

Shortly after Blomkamp handed in the first draft of the script, Ridley Scott said that Alien 5 would be released in 2017.

"We have Neill Blomkamp's Alien, which will be out in 2017. We just have the first [screenplay] draft in so far but it looks pretty good."

A couple of months later a rumour surfaced from a supposed studio insider who said that Blomkamp's film had been put on hold. Blomkamp initially denied this but he later retracted his earlier statement and said that "Alien 5 is kinda holding/ pending prometheus 2". Sigourney Weaver later said that the request to put Alien 5 on hold came from Ridley Scott.

I just hope he don't get left with a sour taste in his mouth for Fox not green lighting it, or making him wait.

Well, Fox offered him "The Gone World", an as yet unpublished Cyberpunk novel by Thomas Sweterlitsch as a sort of "consolation prize". Apparently it's f'king amazing, a real hot property and Blomkamp is really taken with it. To be honest, Alien 5 is probably quite far from his mind at this point. And it's also quite possible that he has simply lost interest in doing a Alien movie. He has always been a bit on the fence about doing any kind of franchise film.

[Kimo]

Well, Fox offered him "The Gone World", an as yet unpublished Cyberpunk novel by Thomas Sweterlitsch as a sort of "consolation prize". Apparently it's f'king amazing, a real hot property and Blomkamp is really taken with it. To be honest, Alien 5 is probably quite far from his mind at this point. And it's also quite possible that he has simply lost interest in doing a Alien movie. He has always been a bit on the fence about doing any kind of franchise film.

So it was actually officially greenlit by Fox. Did not know that, I just thought it was in negotiations. Glad to hear fox offerd him "The Gone World" as a good will gesture.

However I don't think he's gunna lose interest that soon. I remember watching him on YouTube when he was doing interview rounds for Chappie. He was talking about how his Alien(s) idea came to plan. He basically said he has already made 3 films that were his own story's. but was stuck on were to go next. Then his partner or female work friend (can't remember witch) said it's simple... why don't you do your dream project that you have always wanted to do?.
And the light bulb went off in his head. That when he put his Aliens project on the table for the world to see including Fox. So it's obvious he has a love for Aliens and if I was a fanboy in his shoes, I would put it on the back burner till the day Fox Greenlight's it again.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

So it was actually officially greenlit by Fox. Did not know that, I just thought it was in negotiations. Glad to hear fox offerd him "The Gone World" as a good will gesture.

Yep, the media/press checked with Fox after Blomkamp tweeted from his unverified account that Alien would be his next project. He wouldn't have embarked on all that writing and preparation work without a solid contract and official go-ahead first anyway. Especially not after the Halo fiasco. The Alien 5 pitch art and story treatment were likely done at his own expense and time though

However I don't think he's gunna lose interest that soon. I remember watching him on YouTube when he was doing interview rounds for Chappie. He was talking about how his Alien(s) idea came to plan. He basically said he has already made 3 films that were his own story's. but was stuck on were to go next. Then his partner or female work friend (can't remember witch) said it's simple why don't you do your dream project that you have always wanted to do?.

Yep, it was Terri Tatchell, his wife who finally convinced him to do Alien. They were having breakfast and Blomkamp was drinking coffee out of an Alien life cycle mug.

While he certainly sounded excited about the project in the video interviews, he still spoke about his reservations on doing an Alien film. It could be that his initial excitement had cooled down a bit in the interim.

[SM]

Against a production budget of $145 million. Which is why the planned sequel, "King David" got canned.

The point is it still made decent coin in the face of horrible reviews and the bad press during production.

[Local Trouble]

Ridley Scott sells tickets. You know, bums on seats, Love?

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Against a production budget of $145 million. Which is why the planned sequel, "King David" got canned.

The point is it still made decent coin in the face of horrible reviews and the bad press during production.

They would have had to sell a lot of "shiny discs" to make "decent coin" then. Hollywood accounting aside, a film needs to make back at least three times it's production budget in order to be considered a financial success. Exodus barely broke even.

[SM]

Yes, everybody knows this.  $268m is still nothing to sniff at.

[PRJ_since1990]

FOX is in control of everything related to this franchise. They can green light any project they feel will be a success. Or one with more potential than another.

I believe they felt that Prometheus would have been a much greater success had they included the Xeno in it so why not go with a sequel to it with the titular creatures promised to appear. Plus continue the story, etc.

[Scorpio]

Why is this even a question.  Ridley Scott is considered a legend in the industry and the scope and quality of his output few directors can match.

[BishopShouldGo]

Yeah, I still think I'm f**king dreaming. Ridley Scott is making another f**king Alien movie. This is the shit my dad told me about on his knee when I was a child. "One day, he'll come back" as he pointed to the DVD inside sleeve showing the jockey.

And to think he'll direct two more after Covenant...oh what a time to be alive. What a time for the thing you love to make you feel alive.

[SiL]

Yes, everybody knows this.  $268m is still nothing to sniff at.

It is for the studio (whose reaction we're discussing, after all).

[SM]

Not enough of a sniff for them to baulk at throwing over $100m at him to make The Martian.

[oberonqa]

He's a widely respected director, and his last film in this series did quite well. Unless you have someone like Cameron knocking, why change?

You mean like when Scott and Cameron were going to team up to do Alien 5 back in the early 2000's and 20th Century Fox turned them down to do AvP instead? 

Sorry SM... I couldn't help myself there.  I stand ready to receive your Holy Wrath.   

[BishopShouldGo]

What the hell does that have to do with either of their talents? It's not their fault Fox was f**king nuts back then.

Damn those ads would've written themselves. "From the Directors of Alien, Aliens, Titanic and Gladiator". f**king easy $$$