Ridley Scott had been saying for years that his plan was for Prometheus and Alien: Covenant to be the first two parts of a trilogy, with the third film – at one point apparently titled Alien: Awakening – set to dovetail directly into the events of the original Alien. So what’s the latest on that, now that Covenant under-performed and Disney owns the franchise?

Well, the radio silence on that front would sure seem to suggest that Ridley Scott may never get to make that final prequel film, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Disney revive the franchise with an entirely different approach than the one Scott had been taking. Chatting with LA Times, however, Scott suggests a proper Alien prequel is still very much on his mind.

“I still think there’s a lot of mileage in Alien, but I think you’ll have to now re-evolve,” Scott told the outlet.

He continued, “What I always thought when I was making the first one [was] why would a creature like this be made and why was it traveling in what I always thought was a kind of war-craft, which was carrying a cargo of these eggs. What was the purpose of the vehicle and what was the purpose of the eggs? That’s the thing to question — who, why, and for what purpose is the next idea, I think.”

These questions were set to be answered in Scott’s sequel to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, with Covenant showing us the birth of the very first Xenomorph and revealing their creator and the purpose of their creation, but not yet working its way directly into the back-end of Alien. The Xenomorphs and the Engineers, we can assume, are headed towards a date on LV-426.

I personally consider both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant to be misunderstood and under-appreciated films, Scott weaving Alien prequel mythology together with much headier sci-fi ideas that he previously played with in both the original Alien as well as Blade Runner. Scott’s approach to the prequels was nothing if not incredibly ambitious, asking big questions about humanity’s creation while at the same time answering big questions about the original Alien‘s mysteries. Whether or not they needed to be answered, I suppose, is up for debate.

But here’s hoping Ridley Scott is eventually able to finish what he started. Your own thoughts on Prometheus and Alien: Covenant aside, he at least deserves that opportunity.

What would YOU like to see next from the Alien franchise?