Movies
Elizabeth Shaw Returns in This ‘Alien: Covenant’ Short Film!
See how Prometheus connects directly into Alien: Covenant…
Alien: Covenant has had one of the best campaigns in recent memory, unloading all sorts of viral goodies that are climaxing today on Alien Day. Outside of the solid posters, trailers, TV spots, found-footage shorts, and even the VR experience, the coolest thing that Twentieth Century Fox has done was tap Luke Scott to direct a series of short films that tie directly into the film’s mythology. It’s like getting a side story or a prologue week’s before the film hits theaters on May 19th.
The first short, “The Last Supper”, was conceived by Scott and 3AM. It was set aboard the Covenant, a colonization ship on its way to a remote planet to form a new human settlement, the main crew and their android, Walter, enjoy their final meal together before cryosleep. Speaking of Walter, the second short showed the assembly of the android, played by Michael Fassbender.
The new clip is a really, really big deal, especially because it bridges Ridley Scott’s Prometheus directly into Alien: Covenant. Set aboard an abandoned Engineer vessel, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) repairs David (Michael Fassbender) as they continue their search for humanity’s creators. Shaw looks completely worn down as she enters cryosleep, and then we catch a glimpse of David arriving at the Engineers’ home planet where he, well, spoilers here.
We’ve confirmed with Fox that this footage is not going to be seen in Alien: Covenant, which makes me wonder whether or not we’ll actually see Shaw in the film. The synopsis explicitly points out that both David and Shaw are seeking out humanity’s creators, which leads me to believe she’ll pop up at some point in the future of the franchise. David does say, “I’ll wake you when we arrive,” unless of course he kills her. To learn more about the backstory not shown in Prometheus, click here.
Enough chatter, WATCH!
Katherine Waterston stars with Michael Fassbender returns as Prometheus‘ android David (and Walter), with a crew that includes Demian Bichir and Danny McBride (“Eastbound and Down”), as well as Alex England (Gods of Egypt), Billy Crudup, Amy Seimetz (A Horrible Way to Die, “The Killing”), Jussie Smollett (“Empire”), Carmen Ejogo, and Callie Hernandez (Machete Kills). James Franco also has a role, which was confirmed in this aforementioned short film.
Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.
Alien: Covenant takes off for Paradise on May 19, 2017.
A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
Adam Simon (The Haunting in Connecticut, “Salem”) and Tim Metcalfe (The Haunting in Connecticut, Kalifornia) penned the script. The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallace.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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