Prometheus [Ridley Scott]

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Variety wrote:'Alien' prequel takes off
Ridley Scott attached to return as director

Twentieth Century Fox is resuscitating its "Alien" franchise. The studio has hired Jon Spaihts to write a prequel that has Ridley Scott attached to return as director.

Spaihts got the job after pitching the studio and Scott Free, which will produce the film.

The film is set up to be a prequel to the groundbreaking 1979 film that Scott directed. It will precede that film, in which the crew of a commercial towing ship returning to Earth is awakened and sent to respond to a distress signal from a nearby planetoid. The crew discovers too late that the signal generated by an empty ship was meant to warn them.

The deal gives Fox another chance to keep the "Alien" franchise alive. There were three sequels to Scott's original, but it is the first time the director has set his mind on directing one.

Spaihts has become a go-to-guy for space thrillers. After Keanu Reeves became attached to his Warner Bros. sci-fi script "Shadow 19," Reeves hired Spaihts to write the space journey epic "Passengers," which is berthed at Morgan Creek. That script got Spaihts the meeting with Fox and Scott Free, and he won the job with an "Alien" reboot take that the studio and Scott loved.

Fox has separately hired him to rewrite "The Darkest Hour," which Timur Bekmambetov to produce with Tom Jacobson. Spaihts is writing "Children of Mars" for Disney and Scott Rudin, and he will follow by rewriting "St. George and the Dragon" for Sony and Red Wagon.
Last edited by TC on 20/04/12, 20:39:59, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: changed title, was "Alien prequel"

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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_Marcus_ wrote:- Plot sounds just like the first film.
That is the plot of the first film. " It will precede that film, in which..." They are describing what happened in the original film, not the new one.
_Marcus_ wrote: Scott returning will only have the effect of everyone comparing it to the first film.
It wasn't just Scott who made the first film what it was, it was Shusett and O'Bannon, maybe even more so. We'll see if the new writer is up to the task. Personally I think alien is played out and there's really nowhere left to go with the series. Though I felt that after the first film really. The grab of the film was being isolated and hunted by the unknown. Once we saw the alien, the jig was up.
_Marcus_ wrote: I'm probably still going to go see it...
Agreed.
Just cut them up like regular chickens

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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good article on the Ridley and the Scott family here: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 68888.html

relevant part here:
The anticipation for his next project is building to fever pitch: it will be a two-part prequel to Alien, shot in 3D. Scott was never asked to make a sequel to Alien; that honour went to James Cameron, before a further two sequels and two Alien vs Predator spin-offs milked the franchise dry. But with the Lost co-creator Damon Lindoff polishing the first prequel's script, you can sense the competitor in Scott, desperate to put his stamp back on the film series that launched him. "Jim's raised the bar and I've got to jump to it," he says, in a friendly jibe at Cameron. "He's not going to get away with it."

Set 30 years before the 1979 original, so with no room for Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, the prequels will explore the origins of the deadly aliens. "The film will be really tough, really nasty," he notes. "It's the dark side of the moon. We are talking about gods and engineers. Engineers of space. And were the aliens designed as a form of biological warfare? Or biology that would go in and clean up a planet?"

It's a bold move, one that could taint Scott's earlier contribution to the series if it goes wrong. But Scott loves a gamble, whether it's taking on the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, or resurrecting an unfashionable genre with Gladiator. "Everyone sniggered because they thought I was going to do a sandals and toga movie," he remembers. Given the success he's had since, Scott has had the last laugh.
sounds like the thinking is solid. could be good...

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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*sigh* wish they wouldn't point to Hannibal and Gladiator as cornerstones of recent success...although Hannibal was really more on Thomas Harris than on Scott, he did a serviceable job with the material he was given. Gladiator continues to be ass, though.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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io9 wrote:Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel gets a title, and some insane new characters

Earlier this month a rumor was floating around that Ridley Scott's Alien prequel was getting pushed back to 2013 — not any more! A new report busts this rumor, reveals the official movie title, and spills new character details.

New York Magazine is reporting that the whole idea of pushing back the movie's release date had to do with the availability of Leonardo DiCaprio (a favorite actor for Ridley). Apparently insiders were claiming that Ridley was hoping to cast Leo in the production, and thus toying with the idea of pushing back production to accommodate Leo's schedule. That didn't work out, so the production will begin as planned next March.

NY Mag has also revealed that the official name of the prequel will be Paradise. (We're skeptical because it's just a little too ironic for our tastes) but we could see it billed as Alien: Paradise or something... who knows.)

But also, NY Mag's sources promise that this movie will be a return to the original Alien movie style (alien face hugs, alien chest bursts, alien kills crew members one by one, carnage). So hooray for the return to the classic monster style.

And finally three new characters have also been revealed:

First there's David the android, "an earlier version of the Bishop 341-B." Allegedly Ridley wanted Michael Fassbender of Inglourious Basterds fame to play this character — but sadly, that may not happen due to botched negotiations. Next up is Vickers, "a fortysomething, tough-but-sexy woman," hopefully to be played by Michelle Yeoh, once Fox gives Paradise *eye roll* a budget. The last character revealed is called Engineer 1, and we suspect this will be some type of new alien, since the magazine's sources claim he will be played by a 6'5" actor and will be entirely CGI.

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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well apparently this may all be bullshit:
G4 wrote:Studio Issues To Stall Upcoming Alien Prequel?

A lot of folks were understandably excited when news first hit that Ridley Scott would be returning to the Alien franchise to direct what would have been two 3D prequel films, which were meant to return the franchise to its gory, "hard R" style. However, it seems that those proposed perks just keep getting chipped-away as the months go by. The first shot was in the report a few months back that Warner was fighting Scott on the R rating in favor a PG-13 release. Then, in the last few days, a loaded report from New York Magazine's Vulture supposedly revealing its title and naming potential stars has been effectively shot down by 20th Century Fox's Senior Vice President Chris Petrikin. Not only that, but the Exec would also use the opportunity to dispel some things we took for fact. The big news: The Alien prequel(s) should be more accurately called the Alien prequel. That's right, dispelling the claim directly from Scott himself, it's only going to be ONE movie. Oh, but there is some good news, the rumors of the film being delayed have been debunked and things are moving along. So, what's going on with our next helping of chest-busting Xenomorphs?

The report at which Petrikin took aim via Twitter implied that the title of the film would be Paradise. That's right: Not "Alien: Paradise," not "Paradise of Aliens," not even "Revenge of the Aliens 2: Aliens in Paradise." (Where Booger saves the day.) So, without the franchise name in the supposed title, that report did raise some question marks. As Petrikin clearly explains: "It's not called Paradise...answers soon."

However, the casting claims have been equally out of control. While initial rumors, (which few took seriously,) that Leonardo DiCaprio was tapped to the star were squelched, names like Noomi Rapace, Michelle Yeoh, Michael Fassbender, as well as the obligatory Olivia Wilde name drop have come up. (Although, honestly, they could be remaking I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and there would still be some report saying "how about Olivia Wilde to play Kung-Fu Joe?")

Rapace, star of the original version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels was (and possibly still is) the supposed front-runner to take the lead of the film's heroine. Yeoh, the former Bond girl and Crouchng Tiger, Hidden Dragon star, was said to be in line for character named Vickers. Additionally, while he's supposedly asking for a boatload of money, Fassbender of 300, who will also be the new Magneto in X-Men: First Class, was in talks to play an android named David. (Insert Haley Joel Osment joke.) Oh, and then there was talk of Engineer 1, a CGI android character played by a 6 foot, 5 inch actor in a motion capture suit. A lot of that info is in serious question as sources close to The Playlist are telling them that "some" of those casting reports are "just plain wrong."

Wow... Where does that leave us, then? A 3D PG-13 Alien prequel for a thirty-plus year-old franchise, which may or may not be affected creatively by a strenuous relationship between the studio and its director. Hopefully, Ridley Scott and Fox can come together to harness the pure innovative terror that made the first Alien film so great and carve out a new identity in today's market. It's going to be a tough job considering how saturated this franchise has become since the odd turns in the last few Alien movies and the Alien vs. Predator series, but at the end of the day, this is Ridley Scott: Surely he can make something happen.

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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It seems the Alien prequel no longer is an Alien prequel.
Entertainment Weekly wrote:'Alien' prequel morphs into 'Prometheus.' We can't help but be a little disappointed.
by Benjamin Svetkey

If you’re like me — and I know I am — you’ve been waiting impatiently for Ridley Scott’s long-planned prequel to his first, 1979 Alien movie. There are tons of questions I’m sure we’d all love to have answered. For instance, who was that dead, mummified extraterrestrial that the crew of the Nostromo discover on the bridge of that giant derelict space craft at the beginning of the movie? How did that first killer alien find its way onto that marooned ship? And how long had those eggs been waiting to get hatched?

Well, PopWatchers, looks like we’ll be waiting a while longer. Fox announced today that the project once known as “The Alien Prequel” has morphed into something else entirely — a film called Prometheus, slated for release March 9, 2012. The script, written by Scott and Damon Lindelof, will tell a completely different science fiction tale. “While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place,” Scott explains in the press release. “The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative.” Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) is already attached to star in one of the film’s five major roles, a “scientist” named Elizabeth Shaw.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little disappointed. Sure, I’ll go see Prometheus, just as I’ve bought tickets to every movie this director has made (even that terrible Russell Crowe romantic comedy, A Good Year). And the movie will undoubtably be just great. But I’m still convinced there’s an edge-of-your-seat story to be told about the origin of the original face-sucking alien. It’s a film Ridley Scott should still make. But what do you think, Pop Watchers? Are you keen to see Prometheus, given that its premise somehow convinced Fox to be cool with Scott not doing an Alien prequel? Or do you just wanna know what the deal is already with that giant mummified extraterrestrial thing from the first Alien movie?
Just cut them up like regular chickens

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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Would much rather they try some original sci fi horror than some goddamn prequel. Haven't people learned enough about prequels sucking the life out of the originals yet?
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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Sky wrote:EXCLUSIVE: Prometheus Plot Reveal - Aliens ARE In It

It turns out that Ridley Scott's recent comments that Prometheus would be a departure from the Aliens series are somewhat misleading.

An exclusive source has told us that not only are HR Giger's classic aliens in it, but that they're integral to the plot.

Mere hours after the announcement that Michael Fassbender is locked in to play an android with rumoured links to Aliens' Bishop series, our insider sources have revealed that he's not the only one with strong links to the series' past.

"They’ve built the ‘space jockey’ cockpit at Pinewood as seen in the original Alien film, so it definitely takes place in the same world as Alien", they told us.

"Despite that press release that seemed to indicate there were no aliens in the movie, the familiar HR Giger-style aliens do appear. Big ones apparently."

And as for Scott's comments noting that "keen fans will recognise strands of Alien's DNA"?

It turns out there was the slightest hint of misdirection - apparently the actual DNA of the xenomorphs is integral to the plot - and will see the cast jet off to the alien homeworld itself.

"Part of the film will be shot in Morocco. I’ve heard that some sort of archaeological dig where they discover alien DNA takes place there and that DNA gives them the coordinates for an alien world. I’ve also heard Morocco is being used for alien planet landscapes so I’m not sure if it’s an archaeological dig on another planet," they revealed.

It gets weirder too, with Damon Lindelof's script set to crank up the sci-fi angle to maximum effect.

"The main spaceship in the film will be piloted by an enormous head which I assume will be CGI. Yep, sounds weird but I assume some of the technology will be sort of biomechanical."

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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Aliens have been seen on the set...
Alien Prequel News wrote:And here's the most interesting news, I've left for last:

"Though security on the set is very tight with the good weather, dock doors have been open and cast and crew have been enjoying lunch outdoors.
I can confirm seeing 3 aliens having lunch. Not the whole costume but blueish costumes and the unmistakable heads hanging around their shoulders"

I asked the source to elaborate some more on the look of the aliens, and their resemblance to the aliens from the original Alien movies:

"The alien heads were the same shape but no markings, only a plane bronze colour. As for the suits black boots and shoulder pads the rest was a Chelsea blue body suit could be for SFX, all the sets around the back of the bond stage have huge green chromokey maybe that's a clue.
I have witnessed foam cut outs of unmistakable aliens all cut in half lengh ways so they could be in the floor walls etc and very much from the original film."
Just cut them up like regular chickens

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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Here's some pretty major (possible) spoilers if this random internet poster is to be believed:

"I was speaking with a guy who is working on the set of prometheus and he showed me some pictures and told me a bout the storyline. The space jockey that you see in alien who has had his chest busted open is the guy who engineers the aliens. He sends the aliens to planet that he wants to take over. The aliens kill the locals and he flys in and pillages the land of its resources. It seems as though he is responsible for the aliens creation, i’m guessing that he is some kind of super scientist.


The engineer is played by some huge guy who is 8ft tall. He appears even bigger in the space jockey scene from Alien as he is wearing a space suit. He appears to have died in a seat that looks like it is some sort of weapon control, this is in fact the navigation system that the space ship uses to open worm holes and plot its course. Perhaps the aliens revolted and, knowing that he has been impregnated, he is desperately trying to return home to have the alien extricated?


He showed me some pictures from the set. There is a huge silver bust of the engineers head, it is approximately 15m high. It appears that the engineer is sort of leader of a civilisation and there is a cult around his personality and his alien creations, this is probably due to the fact that he has mastered the technology that continues to provide the resource requirements of his home world. I also saw a picture of the actor who plays the engineer in what appeared to be some sort of cryo-chamber."


http://networkedblogs.com/hBGNS


Actually makes sense as I just had a minor epiphany over the title last night, just got my wife a Kindle and she downloaded Frankenstein as a freebie to play with the features and whatnot. First chapter title? Prometheus.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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HAHAHAHAHAHA.... oh how i love this, for several reasons.
io9 wrote:Writer Damon Lindelof explains just what exactly this movie - which is generally thought to be an Alien prequel in all but name - actually is:
It started as an Alien prequel. That is what everybody wanted it to be. Obviously, Ridley Scott has not made a science fiction movie in 25 years, since Blade Runner, so the idea that he's returning to this genre is huge. But there is a real issue which is - what is the state of the Alien franchise at this point in our lives? There has been Alien vs. Predator and all these things, and its been completely and totally diluted. I've always felt that really good prequels should be original movies. And the sequels to those prequels should not be the movie which already exists because, with all due respect to anyone who makes a prequel, but why would you ruin the greatest twist in the history of cinema, "Luke, I am your father", by showing me three movies which basically spoil that surprise. You can do movies which take place before Star Wars, but I don't need to see the story of the Skywalker clan. Show me something else which I can't guess the possible outcome of. There is no suspense in inevitability. So a true prequel should essentially precede the events of the original film, but be about something entirely different, feature different characters, have an entirely different theme, although it takes place in that same world. That was my fundamental feeling about what this movie wanted to be.

Re: Alien prequel [Ridley Scott!!]

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alleged plot outline, to be taken with grains of salt. if true, contains several spoilers:
Earth. Year 2058.

Archaeological digs in Africa reveal alien artifacts that humans were genetically engineered by a advanced alien race (space jockeys). These "Alien Gods" also terraformed Earth in order to make it habitable for their human creations. Amongst finds are coordinates to the Alien God's home-world, to Paradise. Months later the Weyland Corp launch the spaceship PROMETHEUS and his crew, into deep space to make first contact. Thanks to faster than light travel a few years later the PROMETHEUS enters the Zeta Riticuli star system. Humans are greeted by their makers, then transported further into space to a scary yet fascinating world. The Alien Gods are proud of their "children", their first creation to reach such levels of intelligence.

As a reward they share bits of their astonishing bio-based technologies with the humans. But for one crew member of the Prometheus it's not enough. In a treacherous act he steals the "bio-source code" to Terraforming, a technology at the origin of all Gods' power, that could make humans equal to the gods. The Alien Gods may be scientists but are also ruthless conquerors, destroyers of worlds who will not accept humans as equals. They unleash on the escaping human crew their favorite bio-weapon, a creature used to "clean up" worlds before colonization. But something goes wrong in the process and humans manage to turn the bio-weapon against their makers. Giving birth to a smarter, nastier, bigger breed of gut eating creatures. Creatures that will be the demise of Paradise. What's left of the Prometheus crew manages to escape the doomed planet.

On their trail a survivor Alien God in very familiar ship with one ultimate mission.

Bring the wrath of the Gods to Earth.