development hell

Neill Blomkamp Says Chances of His Alien Movie Getting Made Are ‘Slim’

Premiere Of TriStar Pictures'
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

In February of 2015, Neill Blomkamp took to his Instagram and confirmed that he was at work on what would essentially be Alien 5. It would advance the franchise narrative set out in the original Alien movies, so it would operate outside the plot of Ridley Scott’s current prequel endeavor that he kicked off with Prometheus and is extending with this year’s Alien: Covenant. Blomkamp made his original announcement by posting very enticing concept art that included Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and even Michael Biehn back as Corporal Hicks, getting fans plenty worked up for a return to the original Alien concept (that might have even skirted the questionable creative decisions made in Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection).

Unfortunately, nothing has really happened with the movie since then. In October of 2015, Blomkamp said on Twitter that any development on Alien 5 was being paused due to “Prometheus 2” (now known as Covenant), and that he’d be working on other projects instead. Now that the Prometheus sequel is on its way to theaters, Blomkamp has given another bad status report via social media, saying on Twitter recently that the chances of his Alien movie actually getting made are now “slim.” Despite endorsements from Weaver and even James Cameron, it sounds like the studio’s full Alien attention will be directed at Scott’s Prometheus-related stories for the foreseeable future, which, for fans of Lieutenant Ripley, is a damn shame.

Neill Blomkamp’s Alien Movie Is Probably Dead