Michael Biehn "Optimistic" About Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5

[Ash 937]

What if Michael Biehn appears to Ripley 8 as a ghost like his character appeared to Sarah Conor in Terminator 2 (Special Edition).  He already has experience portraying the ghost of one of his characters so he is already suited for the role.  Also keep in mind that Kenobi appeared to Luck in Empire/Jedi and both of those films were well received.

That is just one good example of how you don't need to dismiss A3 and A:R to bring back Hicks for Alien 5.

[robbritton]

I've said it til I'm blue in the face, but Shaw's African dream sequence in Prometheus gives Blomkamp the perfect out. Just have a monitor on the Sulaco showing (in that exact style) Ripley 8 throwing herself off the gantry from Alien 3, or bald Ripley caressing the newborn and in one shot you keep the previous films in canon as hypersleep nightmares AND you tie the new film explicitly to Prometheus. It may not be completely satisfying, but it allows everything to co-exist. You can see Hicks and Newt's psyches wrestling too, to stop it being so on the nose (also handily filling in some back story for those characters while limiting clunky exposition). Starting in either sleep or dreams is a hallmark of the series, regardless. Aliens starts with a nightmare, after all.

Regardless of how anything fits, this is a logical play for the studio. While it may not be the absolute status quo here, there is a lot of public love for the first and second movies and their events. From a business stand point it makes sense to hark back to these as opposed to risking something totally new. Studios are not renowned for taking risks after all. Aside from that, Weaver isn't going to need this series forever (I'd be surprised if she survives this one, honestly) and having two characters in Hicks and Newt that audiences have already shown affection for to carry any future entries must be attractive to Fox.

And, from a purely sentimental point, wouldn't it be nice to see Michael Biehn finally get a decent break after all these years? If anyone could genuinely claim to have been put out by Alien 3, it's him.

[System Apollo]

That is just one good example of how you don't need to dismiss A3 and A:R to bring back Hicks for Alien 5.

Probably also the only one. 

Honestly; I wouldn't try to speculate too far into this, especially when we don't have a script yet. If they dismiss the A3 and AR plots they must have something within reason to do so. Maybe NBK won't find anything within reason either and not dismiss them or maybe drop the project all together.

[NickisSmart]

What if Michael Biehn appears to Ripley 8 as a ghost like his character appeared to Sarah Conor in Terminator 2 (Special Edition).  He already has experience portraying the ghost of one of his characters so he is already suited for the role.  Also keep in mind that Kenobi appeared to Luck in Empire/Jedi and both of those films were well received.

That is just one good example of how you don't need to dismiss A3 and A:R to bring back Hicks for Alien 5.

Not a terrible idea, but I'd rather have Hicks be a character in the movie.

[RagingDragon]

I've said it til I'm blue in the face, but Shaw's African dream sequence in Prometheus gives Blomkamp the perfect out. Just have a monitor on the Sulaco showing (in that exact style) Ripley 8 throwing herself off the gantry from Alien 3, or bald Ripley caressing the newborn and in one shot you keep the previous films in canon as hypersleep nightmares AND you tie the new film explicitly to Prometheus. It may not be completely satisfying, but it allows everything to co-exist. You can see Hicks and Newt's psyches wrestling too, to stop it being so on the nose (also handily filling in some back story for those characters while limiting clunky exposition). Starting in either sleep or dreams is a hallmark of the series, regardless. Aliens starts with a nightmare, after all.

Regardless of how anything fits, this is a logical play for the studio. While it may not be the absolute status quo here, there is a lot of public love for the first and second movies and their events. From a business stand point it makes sense to hark back to these as opposed to risking something totally new. Studios are not renowned for taking risks after all. Aside from that, Weaver isn't going to need this series forever (I'd be surprised if she survives this one, honestly) and having two characters in Hicks and Newt that audiences have already shown affection for to carry any future entries must be attractive to Fox.

And, from a purely sentimental point, wouldn't it be nice to see Michael Biehn finally get a decent break after all these years? If anyone could genuinely claim to have been put out by Alien 3, it's him.

This is a great post, Robb, and I can actually stomach your idea of introducing the Prometheus dream technology to explain their need for a retcon. If only :\

[Keyes]

I don't think this was posted before, but I just found this interview with Michael Biehn from last month where he talks about Alien 5:

In fact, one of the big questions on the minds of sci-fi fans everywhere, is whether or not Biehn will reprise his role as Hicks, after the announcement director Neill Blonkamp has picked up the franchise for a fifth installment. But despite Internet rumours, if the veteran actor knows, he's not telling.

"I've been asked not to talk about my participation, but Neill has said he's going to act like three, four and Alien vs. Predator never happened," he explained. "So that means he would pick up the movie after Aliens, when Hicks was still alive. But I haven't seen a script . . . I can't confirm whether or not I would be a part of that."

Biehn did say, however, he would definitely consider the role, should it be offered.

"I'm very satisfied with my career — I've done so many big films — there just isn't that much material that comes around that's exciting for me to do anymore. I've never been the type of person who has done film after film, I've always liked acting and really enjoyed it, but it's going to take something like Aliens — I'd do that."

Source: http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/whatson-story/5734273-aliens-star-biehn-wants-one-more-shot-at-the-monster/

[irn]

I really, really, really hope they do not retcon Alien 3. I don't care about Resurrection personally but Alien 3 was a good film. A3 and AR being a dream sequence is just as bad as retconning them.

There are solutions. Set it after Aliens and before Alien 3 where Hicks and Ripley get badly torn up at the end and get some kind of reconstructive surgery.  Or have Michael Beihn play Hicks' father looking for answers why his son died working under orders from a private company despite being a Marine.

[System Apollo]

Or have Michael Beihn play Hicks' father looking for answers why his son died working under orders from a private company despite being a Marine.

His father would take that into big consideration; that is a dangerous occupation. Being a soldier in space puts things in a big perspective.

[RakaiThwei]

It's pretty much given that Blomkamp is going to be ignoring AvP since he thinks a shared universe is a big no-no but for Alien 3 and Resurrection? I don't want them to be rendered as dreams, but rather straight up not explained away. I'm for alternative universes, I believe in that stuff, and it would be good for the franchise to have separate continuities and canons.

I just find the whole "dream" angle to be an easy but very insulting cop put just so Blomkamp can do his thing. So I have to disagree with anyone who says this should go the dream route.

[predxeno]

I wonder if Blomkamp will also be treating the Predator films as not canon as well, I know they're in separate franchises but this is AVP after all.

[System Apollo]

I wonder if Blomkamp will also be treating the Predator films as not canon as well, I know they're in separate franchises but this is AVP after all.

How would he go about doing that though? There's a big gap between the timelines that even bringing it up seems unnecessary.

[CainsSon]

I find it odd that fans are fine with this retcon of A3, and the inclusion of PROMETHEUS as canon as well.

[Matt Doyle]

Meh. Honestly I thought Aliens was the weakest of the original trilogy. It lost the feeling of hopelessness that Alien had, while 3 brought that back. To ignore 3 makes me less enthused about this.

[RakaiThwei]

I find it odd that fans are fine with this retcon of A3, and the inclusion of PROMETHEUS as canon as well.

I just look at it like a salad bar. Take what you want and leave the rest.

[Doggo33]

I thought we'd already received confirmation that he and Sigourney Weaver had both been offered their roles again.

"He also confirmed that Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 will in fact be ignoring Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection as if they never happened."

- Noo. Why? It really takes no effort to just say that they were a dream. I have come to terms with the idea that they were a dream, providing I like this film and it's stated that they were just dreams. But if it's not stated that they were dreams I will just consider this a spin-off sort of film.