Rumor of the Day: Why we might be waiting a while for Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5

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Aug 19, 2015

Looking forward to seeing the District 9 director's continuation of the Alien franchise? Well, don't get too excited just yet.

A source has told Bloody-Disgusting that, while Neill Blomkamp is hard at work on a script for Alien 5 after accidentally bringing the project to life earlier this year, we might not see the fruit of his labors until 2018 at the earliest.

Why is that? Well, there are two reasons. The first, and seemingly the major one, is that Ridley Scott intends to make Prometheus 2 next year, and as producer on both films -- as well as director on the Prometheus sequel and general overlord of any Alien-related movies -- he wants to get Prometheus 2 done first.

The source said, "Alien 5 is still very much in the works, as Fox remains hot on the idea. ... Ridley Scott is still producing, but has insisted on Prometheus 2 being made first.”

Scott recently seemed to indicate that he intended to film Prometheus 2 in early 2016, and with both movies being set in the same universe, it's understandable that he would not want them to compete with each other (I'm sure the studio, Fox, feels the same way).

While that appears to be the main stumbling block to getting Alien 5 into the can sooner rather than later, another issue may be Sigourney Weaver’s availability. She is going to star in James Cameron’s upcoming sequels to Avatar (also a Fox joint), so putting Alien 5 a little further down on the schedule could nip any potential scheduling problems in the bud on that front.

If all goes according to plan, Prometheus 2 shoots next year and comes out in 2017, with Blomkamp making Alien 5 in 2017 and getting it out in 2018. Then we'll really have an XCU (Xenomorph Cinematic Universe) on our hands.

Are you okay with seeing Prometheus 2 first and then waiting a little longer for Alien 5? Do you think the delay will help Blomkamp get his vision for the film just right?

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