When Ridley Scott got behind the camera for Prometheus, it was a planned one-shot that was to bridge directly into the director’s 1979 Alien. At the time, co-writer Damon Lindelof reworked the Prometheus screenplay so that the prequel would no longer connect directly into Scott’s masterpiece, but instead would open the door to multiple sequels. After some budget reworking, Scott was able to get Alien: Covenant off the ground only to see also that underperform as well. Pre-production was immediately shut down on Alien: Awakening, the third and possible finale to the David-led story arc. Then Disney happened. With the mouse acquiring Fox and all their film assets, it appeared to be the final nail in the coffin. Yet, over the past year, we’ve seen multiple celebrations, re-releases, and even a series of awesome fan-made films fully sanctioned by Fox. It would appear Disney isn’t planning to kill off the franchise, although we have no idea what kind of recalibration they’re planning.

With all of that said, late last week THR shared a fresh interview with Scott, who not only revealed plans to birth more Alien films, but that they’d be an evolution of the franchise. He went on to explain that the concept of the Xenomorph and its lifecycle was a great gag that has gotten boring. With that, they’re “looking where we’re going to evolve.”

This quote is essential because it implies a trip back to the drawing board, as opposed to a continuing of Awakening as originally planned. Yet, a new Variety piece made the rounds this past weekend that asserts Scott is currently scripting the third film in the franchise. While everyone was quick to take the blurb as gospel, I’m inclined to believe it was purely conjecture by the writer (since there’s nothing to support the claim) based on Scott’s earlier comments.

So, is Scott actively working on Alien: Awakening and concluding his planned trilogy or is he working on something brand spanking new? Time will tell, but at least the franchise isn’t dead. In fact, if anyone were to work the system to get their project off the ground, it’s Scott. We’ll get more chest-bursting in one way or another.

Would you prefer a new beginning or Alien: Awakening?