Dear Ridley Scott,
Back in 1979, you turned a script by Dan O’Bannon and a creature designed by H.R. Giger into what is easily the best sci-fi horror film of all time. But you already know this. Fans have been praising and thanking you for Alien for the past 37 years, and though I’m sure you’ll never tire of hearing such praise, I’m not writing this letter to wax poetic about Alien. I’m writing this letter to thank you not simply for making Alien, but more importantly, for never leaving Alien behind.
In the wake of Alien, your career took off and you became one of the hottest directors in Hollywood thanks to films like Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and most recently, The Martian. But something pretty awesome happened back in 2012. Something I certainly didn’t see coming.
Immediately after working with Denzel Washington on American Gangster, Leonardo DiCaprio on Body of Lies, and Russell Crowe on Robin Hood, you decided to go back to your roots. Instead of gunning for another Oscar nomination, you decided to revisit the Alien franchise with Prometheus: a prequel to the long-running series you launched decades prior and a pretty damn awesome sci-fi film entirely on its own.
Prometheus was nothing short of a huge gift to us Alien fans, both because it brought you back into the franchise and also because it expanded on the mythology we’ll never stop being fascinated with. At the time of its release, many fans said some pretty negative things about the movie, and I’m sorry for that. That’s just the way fans are these days. And I’ve got a good feeling that in the rear-view, Prometheus will become as respected and beloved as it by all means should be. Because it’s an incredible movie, and your return to that world was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced inside a movie theater.
When that Xenomorph was born at the end of the film, I might have cried a little bit.
After Prometheus, you went on to direct The Martian, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture. You could’ve done anything you wanted after that, and what did you decide to do? Once again, you decided to return to the Alien franchise. You decided you’d make a sequel to Prometheus, but this time firmly connect it to the original Alien in a way that Prometheus only played around with. Why? Because, I have to believe, that’s what you knew we wanted.
And it’s what you wanted too, because you’re clearly as big of a fan of that universe as we are.
As I sit here writing this letter, I’m eagerly anticipating next year’s release of Alien: Covenant – and I’m super excited that it’s now headed our way in May, rather than August. There’s no other movie coming out next year that I’m more excited to see, and I’ve got a strong feeling that when one of those Xenomorphs pops up on screen – as the teaser poster suggested they will – I will once again find myself wiping away tears of joy. And I will again find myself feeling incredibly thankful that you never forgot about the Alien franchise, nor did you ever forget about us Alien fans.
At 79 years old, you’re still playing with Xenomorphs. And we all love you for that.
