20th Century Fox is going all-in on its Alien property. Undeterred by the middling critical reception of Prometheus three years ago, the studio has now opened up its green-tinted crown jewel for both Ridley Scott and Chappie director Neill Blomkamp to tell entirely new stories, and the latter director took to Instagram recently to share a photo of the iconic pulse rifles we’ll be seeing in Alien 5.
Designed as more of a sequel to the story of one Ellen Ripley, Blomkamp’s project has been quietly making progress under the shadow of Paradise Lost. Now that we know Scott’s sci-fi sequel will arrive on the scene first, both the director and Fox now face the somewhat difficult task of generating hype for a movie that is at least two-to-three years out.
[zergpaid]That said, if Blomkamp continues to doll out close-ups of pulse rifles, then consider us satisfied. In tandem with the post, the South African helmer noted that the weapons will be retrofitted with RIS (Rail Interface System), allowing the cast of Alien 5 to lump on any scopes, lights and other attachments as they lock horns with those pesky Xenomorphs.
Committing to the one-to punch of all things Alien, Paradise Lost will reportedly act as the beginning of a three-film arc for Scott, eventually dovetailing back to the original and seminal 1979 flick. Blomkamp, on the other hand, is ensuring that Alien 5 won’t tread on the toes of Scott’s rejuvenated franchise, tackling the beloved horror franchise from a different direction. But will audiences grow weary of another interconnected cinematic universe?
Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 is still without a release date, with 20th Century Fox allowing Ridley Scott’s Alien: Paradise Lost to take precedent. The latter is primed to enter production in February, 2016 ahead of a release in 2017.