Now that we’re all getting used to the idea of Ridley Scott returning to his iconic sci-fi series and directing the Alien Prequel(s) details are starting to creep out of the shadows.
There’s a comprehensive run down of the closing night of the LA Times Hero Complex film Fesitval over at Collider and there are a few choice updates on the Alien prequels as well as some interesting stories about his other works. Sadly though, nothing about the Monopoly movie…
Late last year Scott opened up about his initial thoughts on the Alien prequel,
It’s a brand new box of tricks, We know what the road map is, and the screenplay is now being put on paper. The prequel will be a while ago. It’s very difficult to put a year on Alien, but [for example] if Alien was towards the end of this century, then the prequel story will take place thirty years prior.
Then in April of this year Scott spoke to MTV to build on those bones,
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 … Our man [Tom Skerritt as Captain Dallas] climbs up and says “There’s been an explosion in his chest from the inside out — what was that?”
I’m basically explaining who that Space Jockey — we call him the Space Jockey — I’m explaining who the space jockeys were … [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.
And now Collider report on Scott’s thoughts,
Scott said he always wondered who [the Space Jockey] was and what was its story. He said that being now has a story. The script has been written and he is currently in preproduction on a set of films that will begin to tell how “The Space Jockey” fits into the world of Alien.
The story has no set timeline except that it’s WAY before the first Alien so that they can fit in enough history for two movies. Scott explained that once you learn the history of how the jockey encountered the aliens, you’ll also want to learn about how he got there.
So, Scott seems to be following this train of thought through, and I’m sure you noticed the ‘enough history for two movies’ bit in there. Initially I was against going back to the world just to explain one of the more mysterious parts of the first Alien film, but if Scott wants to tell the backstory then I’m excited to see it.
