Ridley Scott Admits He Never Watched AVP!

Hollywood isn’t a place awash with honesty.   It’s a business.  So a lot of business calculations go everything people say.  But in a rare moment of  (possibly accidental) candor,  Ridley Scott revealed he’s never seen Alien vs. Predator.  The comment came on the Friday edition of the Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode Film Program.  Ridley was discussing the fact that the “space jockey” mystery had never been dealt with in any sequels.  He was discussing the fact that he’s seen all the films,  when he added:

Then I watched …. couldn’t really watch Alien vs. Predator.

It was a refreshing moment.  Perhaps not that brave when you’re attempting to launch a new Alien related franchise.  But still refreshing.

Video: PROMETHEUS Q & A With Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof!

A special Q&A about the upcoming film Prometheus with director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Damon Lindelof.

Video: Damon Lindelof Explains the Ending of LOST … Again!

It’s been two years since “Lost” ended.  And it’s probably been about that long since you thought about the ending.  Well, prepare to get yourself back in that mindset.

To think about Jack, Kate and Sawyer.  About Jacob and “smoke monsters”.  And about the meaning behind Jack’s closing eye.  As you watching the following interview where writer-producer Damon Lindelof, again, discussing his decision making decisions when creating the ending of “Lost”.

Video: Fassbender on Ridley Scott’s PROMETHEUS!

So it is an “Alien” film after all.

Video: Fassbender on Ridley Scott’s PROMETHEUS!, posted with vodpod

 

Ridley Scott’s Alien Prequel Shelved!

In a shocking development for Hollywood,  a studio has opted for originality over franchise.  What?!?  Tell us it isn’t true.  Well, we can’t, because they have.

Ridley Scott has shelved his plans to make a prequel to Alien in favor of directing an original sci-fi film entitled Prometheus.  Here’s the skinny from EW:

“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.

We’re excited that Scott is doing sci-fi.  And even more excited that it’s ORIGINAL sci-fi.  And with “Lost” scribe Damon Lindelof handling the writing chores, we bet it will genuinely be original.

Art: Mysterious “Alien” Concept Art Leaked from Paramount!

This piece of concept art leaked from Paramount.  But no one seems to know what film it’s for.  And the image quality is too low to read the legend in the lower right hand corner.  However, this hasn’t stopped most from speculating, some of the films suggested include Super 8 (mostly debunked), Star Trek 2, When Worlds Collide (huh?!? there shouldn’t be any monsters in that), or Cloverfield 2.

What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Sigourney Weaver Wants Ripley to Have a Normal Life!

In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Sigourney Weaver contemplates what she’d like to do with her “Ripley” character from the Alien franchise:

We were thinking about doing this fifth one and I didn’t really want to go ahead and do it and do it on earth, so we kind of left the sentence unfinished … there’s something slightly unfinished to me about it. Again, it’s not something I really sit around… I would have liked to see Ripley try to have a normal life, try to find happiness, at least for a little while. I feel we owe her that.

Ripley with a normal life?  Hmmm … we can’t see that really.  Unless that normal life includes a lot of guns.

Ridley Scott Confirms “Space Jockey” Plot of ALIEN Prequel!

For some time fans of the Alien franchise have suggested the Alien prequel would involve the “space jockey”.  (That attractive alien dude above.  He even has his own wiki.)  But this had not officially been confirmed by Ridley Scott … until now.

In a recent interview with MTV, Scott said:

[The Alien prequel is] set in 2085, about 30 years before Sigourney [Weaver's character Ellen Ripley]. It’s fundamentally about going out to find out ‘Who the hell was that Space Jockey?’ The guy who was sitting in the chair in the alien vehicle — there was a giant fellow sitting in a seat on what looked to be either a piece of technology or an astronomer’s chair. Remember that?

In addition to the Space Jockey what else is the film about?  Well, Scott let this slip:

[The film] is about the discussion of terraforming — taking planets and planetoids and balls of earth and trying to terraform, seed them with the possibilities of future life.

Scott also had this to say about the script:

As we speak, I’ve got a pile of pages next to me; it’s like the fourth draft. It’s a work in progress, but we’re not dreaming it up anymore. We know what the story is. We’re now actually trying to improve the three acts and make the characters better, build it up to something [we can shoot]. It’s a work in progress, but we’re actually making the film. There’s no question about it, we’re going to make the film.

And he had this to say about H.R. Giger’s involvement in the prequel:

Yeah, [H.R. Giger is] still around. Once I get more serious and get going, and the big wheels start turning, we’ll certainly talk. And maybe we’ll come up with something completely different.

Finally, for total geeks, he dropped this little bit of in-story history:

[The Weyland-Yutani Company is]  Weyland. Weyland hasn’t joined Yutani yet, so they go and see Weyland.

All this is quite intriguing.  But Alien fans should remain skeptical.  The odds are still against anyone being able to re-invigorate the Alien franchise.  Even Scott himself.

But, hopefully, Scott will buck the odds.  And deliver a fantastic film.

Ridley Scott to Direct (yes, Direct!) New ALIEN Movie!

The news that Ridley Scott was producing an Alien prequel hit the Internet with a thud a few months back.  But Fox has recently announced he will not only be producing … but directing!  The film will be written by Jon Spaights.  Spaights has no produced credits, but his Sci-Fi script The Passengers impressed Fox enough to offer him a chance to pitch, and the pitch won him the gig.

No news yet on plot details.  And fan reactions seems mixed on the idea of reviving the “Space Jockey” idea.   We’re not so sure about that either.  But Ridley returning to Sci-Fi is good news!

Video: Star-Shaped UFO Over Brazil