If you haven’t been following the saga leading up to the May 19th release of Alien: Covenant, it’s actually confusing. I’ll try and sum it up.

Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus (2012) was scripted by Jon Spaihts as a one-shot story that would bridge directly into his Alien (1979).  Damon Lindelof was hired to rewrite the screenplay, setting it up as a trilogy, as opposed to a standalone prequel. The title of the film was also purposely separated from that of Alien – possibly because Scott didn’t want to tarnish his legacy – and it hurt the box office quite a bit. Even though Scott openly talked about doing a Prometheus follow-up, originally titled Paradise, it was being drawn out so long that Neill Blomkamp snuck into the picture with his pitch for an Alien 5 (catch up on the news here), which would have become the new Alien 3, completely ignoring that timeline. Blomkamp’s work with Sigourney Weaver on Chappie allowed for the duo to collaborate on a pitch (with art; see below), which Fox both picked up and announced. Things allegedly advanced so far that Blomkamp reportedly turned in a completed script that even James Cameron called “amazing.” There was a lot of hype behind the project, which would have helped Weaver tell the Ripley story she’s been talking about for 20 years.

So, it’s really interesting to read this new interview bit with Scott, who contradicts many reports, claiming that there wasn’t ever a script. Here’s a bit via French outlet Allocine:

“Ridley Scott, who was in Paris for the promotion of the new opus of the saga, was even more definitive in our microphone: “I think he will never see the light,” he replied after explaining That the project was far less advanced than previously thought. “There was never a scenario, just an idea that evolved into a pitch of ten pages, I had to participate as a producer but it did not go any further because the Fox decided that She did not want to do it. I had already done ‘Prometheus’ and worked on ‘Covenant’.” (Translated from French)

Blomkamp had stated there’s a slim chance we’d ever see his Alien, and Scott doesn’t give us any stronger hope. In words, he takes his franchise back (meaning full ownership of his creation), which he’s openly stated was inspired by Star Wars‘ resurrection. Now, Scott is planning up to three more Alien films, which leaves little to absolutely no room for Blomkamp’s fan-film. As much as I love the idea, I think it’s better this way. And those dying to see Weaver return should know that we think her voice is present in Covenant, and even Scott openly stated that he could de-age her for a sequel.

This Alien universe is growing exponentially and shows no signs of slowing down… unless of course Covenant bombs on May 19th.

[H/T] AvP Galaxy