Looks like we’ll be getting a fifth Alien film.
According to a report by Variety, Neill Blomkamp, the man behind District 9 and the soon-to-be-released Chappie, has signed on to helm the next Alien flick for Twentieth Century Fox.
After months of posting Alien-related artwork on Instagram, Neill Blomkamp officially announced he’d be helping the iconic franchise, on where else, his Instagram.
According to the report, the new Alien feature will be separate from the upcoming Prometheus sequel which is currently being developed and according to IMDb will see Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender returning. The new Alien film will take place after the events of Prometheus 2.
The last film in the series, Alien Resurrection, was released in 1997 and featured series star Sigourney Weaver returning as Ellen Ripley and Winona Ryder as Annalee Call. That film was the lowest grossing film int the franchise and was received slightly better than Alien 3 (directed by Oscar nominee David Fincher). Frankly speaking, saying Resurrection was better than Alien 3 is like saying having the stomach flu is better than having the chicken pox.
Is Blomkamp the right choice to direct the next Alien film? He has proven he understands the sci-fi genre, blowing audiences away with District 9, which scored a best picture nomination. He also has the highly underrated Elysium under his belt and Chappie which drops this winter. He has a terrific visual palette — he understands the bright, vibrant side of sci-fi but also it’s grungy, dark, gothic side. Oh, and this probably means we’ll see Sharlto Copley in the Alien series, which would be pretty amazing. To this writer, Blomkamp is an excellent choice, let’s hope he can deliver and re-energize a franchise that ended on very weak note.
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