Movies
Everything You Need To Know About the ‘Alien: Covenant’ Neomorphs
In Alien: Covenant, we will meet a new breed of movie monster.
Back in 2012, Ridley Scott expanded upon the Alien universe with Prometheus, a prequel to the 1979 classic that introduced a handful of new creatures. We met the Hammerpede, the Trilobite and, at the very end of the film, the “proto-Xenomorph” known as Deacon, and we’re set to meet more new monsters in next year’s Alien: Covenant. But what the hell are these so-called “Neomorphs” that we keep hearing about? And what can we expect them to look like?
It was Michael Fassbender who revealed the name earlier this year, and from what we were told, a Neomorph would be featured in the film alongside a traditional Xenomorph. Now that the Alien: Covenant trailer has finally been released, we can indeed confirm that Scott is returning to his roots by bringing back both the Face Hugger and a classic Xenomorph like the one we first met back in 1979. What we don’t see in the trailer, however, is a Neomorph. But we do get a glimpse of how it comes to be. And it doesn’t emerge from someone’s chest, but rather someone’s back.
Our main source of information about the Neomorphs is the website AvP Galaxy, which got the exclusive scoop on the new creatures back in October of this year. At the time, it was impossible to tell whether or not the information was correct, but now that we’ve seen the Alien: Covenant trailer, it’s clear that it was. So here’s what they wrote about the Neomorphs back in October, along with screen-grabs from the trailer that prove the information to be spot-on…
These Aliens are the result of the local ecosystem being mutated by the accelerant/black goo. Over time, pods started to grow on the trees and the ground, and release a spore when disturbed.
These spores infect several members of the Covenant crew by entering the body through the ear and nostrils. The spores cause the growth of the Neomorphs inside the infected hosts – something that is reminiscent of William Gibson’s first draft of Alien 3. One of the Neomorphs bursts from the back of one of the infected crew, a backburster. The other crewmember’s Neomorph erupts through their throat.
The births are preceded by the eruption of two small dorsal spikes. These spikes and a pointed skull are also used to break out of an embryonic sack (similar to the Deacon in Prometheus). The Neomorph resembles some of the older concept art of the proto-Aliens from Prometheus (see below), specifically the white colouration, with a pointed head and two dorsal spines. Upon birth, the Neomorphs move on all fours similar to the Bambi-burster from Alien 3.
When they mature, they grow significantly larger and walk on their back legs. They were more animal-like in behavior with fang-like teeth. Unlike the earlier Prometheus concepts, the Neomorphs also have tails. In addition, the adult Neomorphs also developed a slightly translucent appearance (harkening back to unused concepts from Alien and Prometheus) as previously rumored.
Face Huggers, Xenomorphs, and Neomorphs… oh my. Cannot wait.
Michael Fassbender returns as the android David, as well as Walter, while Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice, Jobs, The Babysitters) heads the new crew with 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 is also confirmed to be among them all.
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.
The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallis.
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
You must be logged in to post a comment.