Brucie Bonus Blog - Brand New Alien Movie Announced!

Hey guys, quick blog entry on the exciting news of a brand new Alien movie that was announced this morning! As a huge fan of the franchise, and owner of the Alien Anthology and Prometheus, this news has me pretty damn excited.

I've always been a huge fan of the Alien franchise, ever since I reached my teens and saw Aliens for the very first time. The space setting, the horror elements, the action elements, the pacing, the bleakness, the Xenomoph's, I loved all of it. I went out to watch Alien 3 which I think has its merits, and whilst a flawed film, it's still an enjoyable watch. Alien: Resurrection is... eh. VERY flawed, a few redeeming qualities but they are few and far between in my mind. I only sat down and watch the original Alien movie from 1979 a few years ago, constantly worried it would be too dated for my liking; instead, I was stunned by how well it held up for even today's standards, and I put it right alongside Aliens as my of my favourite films of all time.

Prometheus that came out in 2012 was a great re-visiting of the world established by Ridley Scott in 1979, and re-tooled by both David Cameron and David Fincher in later years, but I must admit that it had me yearning for more Xenomoph action. Waking up this morning to hear that a new movie based on the franchise had been green-lit was excellent to hear. My interest in the franchise had continued to tick over in the last year or so thanks to the awesome set of graphic novels I'd discovered, but also the atmospheric and terrifying Alien: Isolation game I picked up a few months ago (if you're a fan of the franchise and own a PS4, pick this up ASAP).

The question right now is "what do we know", with the answer being "very little". We know that Prometheus 2 is still being worked on as we speak. Rumors floating about is that this new Alien movie will be a prequel much like the Prometheus series, but I think is director Neill Blomkamp has his way, we'll be seeing a movie set later on in the time (after Resurrection) that will see a more fitting end to Ripley's story. As you can see by the image at the top of this blog, his concept art is Sigourney Weaver heavy, and I imagine he has all intentions to ensure that our heroine Ellen Ripley plays some role in this upcoming film. Whether that be a main role, action heavy as it has been in the past (unlikely due to Weaver's age), or as a friendly face from the past who helps the next generation find their feet in the Alien universe (much like Mark Hamill/Carrie Fisher/Harrison Ford are slated to do in the upcoming Star Wars movie), I'm willing to be we see Ripley return for one last fight.

It's clear to me that Blomkamp is a big fan of the franchise, just by the detail and care that has gone into the concept art. He seemed disheartened when the project was apparently shelved a few months ago, but the interest his Instagram posts generated must have done the trick. The idea now is to bring the franchise back from the state that Alien: Resurrection left it in, and cater to fans old and new alike. It needs to take the story and the universe in a dynamic new direction. I'm remaining highly optimistic for the future, and am really excited to see how things develop going forward.

Best of luck Neill Blomkamp - from one Alien fan to, I'm sure, another.

Will