Movies
Sigourney Weaver On Next ‘Alien’: It Will “Break New Ground”
Recapping is starting to feel redundant with a new story breaking each and every day, but here we go…
Neill Blomkamp released Alien concept art a few months ago. It went viral. Fox hired him to develop the it. Ridley Scott is producing. Sigourney Weaver is returning. It will be the “final entry” and will take place after Aliens, but before Alien3. Michael Biehn could be in it (he claims to have been contacted), as shown in the concept art, and an unknown actor did makeup tests as Hicks in preparation.
Blomkamp’s Chappie opens in theaters tomorrow, and retimes him with Weaver. Both have been making a press tour, which is where all of this information is being gathered from. Variety has more, this time from Weaver, who tells them the next Alien will break new ground.
“I can’t think of a better director,” Weaver told the site at the New York City premiere of Blomkamp’s latest film, “Chappie.” “He’s a real fan. I think he’ll be true to the world and take it in unexpected directions. It’s got a lot of sinew in it. It will certainly stand up to the others and probably break a lot of new ground as well.”
Blomkamp expresses why he’s enamored with doing a new Alien, other than the first two films being his favorite films:
“I would love to make something in that world because the films use terror and dread and filmmaking techniques that are different than what I’ve dabbled in before,” he said.
Personally, I’m desperate for this Chappie tour to end because I both want to be surprised and don’t want to think about it as Blomkamp still has to write a script. It’s going to be a few years until this goes into production, assuming it’s even approved by Fox.
Just three years after Evil Dead Rise set the box office on fire with a $147 million worldwide haul, Evil Dead Burn was unleashed into theaters this past weekend. Unfortunately, the opening weekend for Evil Dead Burn wasn’t quite as strong as the debut for its predecessor.
Evil Dead Burn debuted in 3,004 theaters across North America and scared up $13.7 million in its domestic debut, about $10 million less than Evil Dead Rise‘s $24.5 million opening.
Worldwide, Evil Dead Burn debuted with $25 million. Given the film’s production budget was somewhere in the ballpark of $20 million, all is certainly not lost for Evil Dead Burn. That said, Warner Bros. and New Line no doubt hoped that Burn would top or at least match the domestic opening of Rise, but instead we’re looking at a case of diminishing franchise returns.
The good news for fans? Next installment Evil Dead Wrath has already wrapped production for expected release in 2028, so there’s no danger of the franchise ending with Evil Dead Burn.
Evil Dead Wrath from director Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) is currently set for theatrical release on April 7, 2028, though that could change in the coming months.
Will the Evil Dead franchise be taking a break after Evil Dead Wrath? That all depends on how Wrath performs at the box office. But for what it’s worth, the post-credits scene at the end of Evil Dead Burn suggests that the franchise’s creators are hopeful for a bright future ahead.
The critical reception for Evil Dead Burn was a bit less positive than the reception to Evil Dead Rise, with Rise hitting 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and Burn currently sitting at 71%. It’s interesting to note, however, that the “Popcornmeter” on Rotten Tomatoes is a bit higher for Burn than it was for Rise, with Burn‘s currently at 80% and Rise‘s sitting a tad lower at 76%.
The site’s “Popcornmeter” scores are decided by users, rather than verified movie critics.
Which do you prefer? Evil Dead Rise or Evil Dead Burn? Sound off below.
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