Alien 5

[WindupAtheist]

All I know so far is that it's a prequel, and that it'll be directed by Ridley Scott. That last fact alone is enough to give me hope that this could be the first good Alien movie since 1986. Fuck Alien 3, fuck Alien 4, and fuck the shit out of those dumbass Predator crossovers.

[schild]

How do you reboot a series with a prequel?

Also, you didn't read that article.

"Carl Rinsch is going to do the prequel to Alien," Scott told Collider while promoting The Taking of Pelham 123. "He's one of our directors at our company."

Carl Rinsch is directing it.

Anyway, Rodriguez is doing the new Predator movies, so cheers all around.

[stu]

A week or two ago, I read that Rinsch was out. He's dating (?) Scott's daughter, so Ridley probly wanted to give the guy a leg up to begin with and then decided against it. Maybe the decision had something to do with the head scratching that went on after the announcement of the original director.


edit: Even though it may be a prequel, I'm looking forward to the new one. Watching a midnight Halloween screening of Alien several years ago still ranks high with me.

[WindupAtheist]

Oh, I linked an old article. Ridley Scott is in fact directing. I'll turn up a newer article and edit it in.

Also, Rodriguez doing Predator makes me apprehensive.

[Hoax]

The most recent Predator wasn't as awful as expected after the whole trapped in a pyramid one.

[Ironwood]

You could see anything ?

[WindupAtheist]

AVP2 was slightly less horrible than the first one, thanks to at least being R-rated, but it was still pretty terrible.

[Yegolev]

AVP2 was slightly less horrible than the first one, thanks to at least being R-rated, but it was still pretty terrible.

 

[Margalis]

AVP2 was Dawnson's Creek meets Friday the 13th. Also one of the worst-shot films I've seen.

[FatuousTwat]

The best thing about the second AVP was It just kind of came out of left field and made me laugh out loud in the theater.

[Margalis]

Too bad that was in the trailer.

[Cadaverine]

The very first movie I recall seeing as a child was Alien.  It remains one of my favorite films of all time, and along with Blade Runner, is Scotts best work, in my opinion.

However, given how much he has changed as a director over the years, as well as the medium of film itself, I just don't see how this film will be any good.

As an aside, despite my owning the Quadrilogy, there are only 2 Alien movies.  The third film is an ok film in and of itself, but isn't Alien(s).  As for the fourth?  Well, it has Brad Dourif, Dominique Pinon, and Ron Perlman in it. 

[Hoax]

The very first movie I recall seeing as a child was Alien.  It remains one of my favorite films of all time, and along with Blade Runner, is Scotts best work, in my opinion.

People say that about him like he hasn't done a movie worth talking about since and it confuses me, sure Blade Runner is one of the best movies I've ever seen and its possible Alien which I haven't watched in quite some time would stand up as well but its not like he's been making pure shit recently.

Last decade:
American Gangster
Kingdom of Heaven
Matchstick Men
Blackhawk Down
Gladiator

I liked all of those movies, Blackhawk Down was a fantastic book adaptation even though he was saddled with Josh Hartnet however you spell his name.

[DraconianOne]

However, given how much he has changed as a director over the years, as well as the medium of film itself,

Can you elaborate on this? What's changed so much about the medium of film and why does that mean Alien 5 may not be any good?

[jason]

A prequel to Alien?  Is that going to be the story of how/why the ship piloted by the dead giant crashed on LV-426?

Just as long as they don't gay it up by making it take place on Earth and we find out that humans genetically engineered the thing and launched it into space...

[ghost]

Does information from the AVP movies really need to be spoiler tagged? 

Alien 5 as a prequel could very well kick major ass.

[stu]

This isn't so much Alien prequel news, but some stuff I found while tooling around.

I wanted to find out who the original Alien 3 director was and what he wanted to do with the franchise. The guy was Renny Harlin.


Not too hot, but the image of the cornfield is kinda cool. Instead he went on to make Ford Fairlane and Die Hard 2. After finding out he was the original director, I thought it was funny that he had taken over for another guy to re-shoot the last Exorcist flick. That one was even worse than the AvP movies.


This next one has already done the rounds but I figured what the heck.

Scott interview at The Independent


There was even a script floating around over the summer which someone "leaked" after applying the name of the project screenwriter to it. The aliens in it were tiny. The Space Jockeys forced human male slaves into having sex. In 3-D. Something like that.

[KallDrexx]

IMDB has him directing two Alien prequels, not just one FYI

*Edit* Wasn't the ship that crashed on the planet (Alien 1) Alien and not human?  I thought alien 1 was the first time humans had been in contact with the aliens.

[01101010]

IMDB has him directing two Alien prequels, not just one FYI

*Edit* Wasn't the ship that crashed on the planet (Alien 1) Alien and not human?  I thought alien 1 was the first time humans had been in contact with the aliens.

Indeed sir. It was an alien craft in which the occupants were killed by the creatures. That said, I always wondered why the Company sent a mining vessel to check out an alien distress call. I can see if they were the only ship in the area that could get there in a reasonable timeframe, and I assume the company was only looking for alien tech when they came upon what they deemed an organism that could be used as a weapon - but they came to that conclusion almost too quickly.

[HaemishM]

IMDB has him directing two Alien prequels, not just one FYI

*Edit* Wasn't the ship that crashed on the planet (Alien 1) Alien and not human?  I thought alien 1 was the first time humans had been in contact with the aliens.

According to the canon of the AVP franchise movies, no, it was not the first time aliens had been in contact with humans. If you believe AVP 2, the company that sends the Nostromo to that planet in the first Alien movie is the same company who found alien genetic material at the end of AVP2 and is the company that was run by Lance Hendrickson in AVP 1 that went to the Arctic to find alien samples there.

[01101010]

IMDB has him directing two Alien prequels, not just one FYI

*Edit* Wasn't the ship that crashed on the planet (Alien 1) Alien and not human?  I thought alien 1 was the first time humans had been in contact with the aliens.

According to the canon of the AVP franchise movies, no, it was not the first time aliens had been in contact with humans. If you believe AVP 2, the company that sends the Nostromo to that planet in the first Alien movie is the same company who found alien genetic material at the end of AVP2 and is the company that was run by Lance Hendrickson in AVP 1 that went to the Arctic to find alien samples there.

Ah yes, I failed to pick up on that since I fucking hated the AvP films and all they stood for. However, that is correct. I still hold Alien and Aliens as two of my all time favorites. AvP, not so much.

[HaemishM]

The AvP movies sucked the stale sweat off a monkey's balls.

[Ratman_tf]

Bleargh. They don't make movies like Alien or Blade Runner anymore. And if Hollywood has shown us anything, it's that they can fuck up a franchise and still make a shitton of money.

Oh well, at least I save money by not going to movies in the theater anymore.

[Riggswolfe]

IMDB has him directing two Alien prequels, not just one FYI

*Edit* Wasn't the ship that crashed on the planet (Alien 1) Alien and not human?  I thought alien 1 was the first time humans had been in contact with the aliens.

Indeed sir. It was an alien craft in which the occupants were killed by the creatures. That said, I always wondered why the Company sent a mining vessel to check out an alien distress call. I can see if they were the only ship in the area that could get there in a reasonable timeframe, and I assume the company was only looking for alien tech when they came upon what they deemed an organism that could be used as a weapon - but they came to that conclusion almost too quickly.

[geek]
The distress call was actually a warning telling people to stay away from the alien ship because of what it had on it. The company intercepted it and decoded it. the Nostromo was the closest ship and since, at least in the first movie, space travel takes months it was determined that crew would be the one to investigate since they were expendable. [/geek]

[Sir T]

That doesn't gel with the fact that the Android ash was placed on the Nostromo to capture and study whatever brought down the Alien ship, as was said quite clearly in Alien

From the script

   ASH
                  Special Order 937 in essence
                  asked me to direct the ship to
                  the planet, investigate a life
                  form, possibly hostile and bring
                  it back for observation.  With
                  discretion, of course.
                                 RIPLEY
                  Why.  Why not tell us.

                                 ASH
                  Would you have gone.

                                 PARKER
                  It wasn't in the contract.

                                 ASH
                  My very point.

                                 RIPLEY
                  They wanted to investigate the
                  Alien.  No matter what happened
                  to us.

                                 ASH
                  That's unfair.  Actually, you
                  weren't mentioned in the order.

                                 LAMBERT
                  Those bastards.

                                 ASH
                  See it from their point of view.
                  They didn't know what the Alien is.

                                 RIPLEY
                  How do we kill it.

                                 ASH
                  I don't think you can.  Not
                  in this ship, given its life
                  support systems.  But I might
                  be able to.

                                 RIPLEY
                  How.

                                 ASH
                  I don't know quite yet.  I'm not
                  exactly at my best at the moment.
                  If you would reconnect...

                                 RIPLEY
                  No way.

                                 ASH
                  Don't be so hasty.  You'll never
                  kill it without my help.

                                 RIPLEY
                  We've had enough of your help.

                                 ASH
                  You've barely got any oxygen left.
                  If you don't go into hypersleep,
                  you'll die with or without the
                  Alien.

                                 RIPLEY
                  Nice try, Ash.

                                 ASH
                  I will do whatever I can to help
                  you.  I swear it.

                                 PARKER
                  Pull the plug.

                                 LAMBERT
                  I agree.

                                 ASH
                  You idiots.  You still don't
                  realize what you're dealing with.
                  The Alien is a perfect organism.
                  Superbly structured, cunning,
                  quintessentially violent.  With
                  your limited capabilities you have
                  no chance against it.

                                 LAMBERT
                  You admire it.

                                 ASH
                  How can one not admire perfection.
                  I will kill it because I am
                  programmed to protect human life
                  as you know.

                                 RIPLEY
                  Even if you have contempt for it.

                                 ASH
                  Even then.

[01101010]

That doesn't gel with the fact that the Android ash was placed on the Nostromo to capture and study whatever brought down the Alien ship, as was said quite clearly in Alien

From the script

That's reaching a tad bit. Ash was on the ship (I assume unless I missed another AvP reference) before the signal was caught and deciphered. He was there to run things while the humans were in hibernation. However, that quote does make sense given if the distress call (warning beacon) contained references to Aliens being the cause of the crash. Once decrypted, they found the nearest ship and activated their company owned droid to investigate. Sadly, humans are always ones to go poking bad things with sticks even when told not to and why. Fuck now I miss those huge 80s (late 70s) movies.

[Sir T]

Nope. They had no idea he was an android. He was in hypersleep same as the rest of them and earlier the captain says he had never served with him before, and he came on just before the ship left.

                                RIPLEY
                  Did you ship out with Ash before.

                                 DALLAS
                  First time.  I went five hauls
                  with another science man.  Then
                  two days before we left Thedus,
                  replaced him with Ash.

Later after wires come out of Ash when they are fighting him

PARKER
                  A robot, a God damn Droid.

[01101010]

Good point.

[Typhon]

I always thought that the "an Ash is embedded on all ships to make sure company interests are maximized" rather then, "let's send a towing vessel, with refinery and ore attached, to extract an alien organism!"

The first just seems a more flexible and calculated evil.  The second just seems like a blundering evil.  Sure, it sucks if you happen to be the miners on the mining ship, but just seems like a bad choice all around if you actually want to retrieve the organism.  Better to send a science vessel full of Ash's (or just a single Ash).

[Mortriden]

I always thought that the "an Ash is embedded on all ships to make sure company interests are maximized" rather then, "let's send a towing vessel, with refinery and ore attached, to extract an alien organism!"

The first just seems a more flexible and calculated evil.  The second just seems like a blundering evil.  Sure, it sucks if you happen to be the miners on the mining ship, but just seems like a bad choice all around if you actually want to retrieve the organism.  Better to send a science vessel full of Ash's (or just a single Ash).

This is how I always interpreted it as well.  The 'droid was the ultimate failsafe for the company.  I just made the assumption in Aliens that the military was applying the same principle, but within a chain of command structure.

[Ironwood]

That doesn't gel with the fact that the Android ash was placed on the Nostromo to capture and study whatever brought down the Alien ship, as was said quite clearly in Alien

Actually, it does.  The signal was detected, decoded and the Company quickly changed personnel on the closest starship that was going out there.  I really don't see why you have a problem with the timeline - I'm quick sure they have synthetics in almost every station they own.  I know I would have.

[01101010]

I also assume they went ahead and sent in a mining vessel rather than a full out science vessel complete with "containment cells" simply to avoid the red tape and answering a lot of bureaucrat questions - assuming again of course that the company does answer to someone/thing. Then again, the story plays out nicely when the players involved are not trained military forces and just hapless miners trying to make the rent. Hooray for the little guy... erm, girl. Going to have to order this movie up this week sometime since my interest is peaked.

[Riggswolfe]

That doesn't gel with the fact that the Android ash was placed on the Nostromo to capture and study whatever brought down the Alien ship, as was said quite clearly in Alien

Actually, it does.  The signal was detected, decoded and the Company quickly changed personnel on the closest starship that was going out there.  I really don't see why you have a problem with the timeline - I'm quick sure they have synthetics in almost every station they own.  I know I would have.

That's pretty much what happened. In fact, I figured the timeline was like this:

1) Company intercepts and decodes the transmission.
2) Comapny figures out which ship will be closest.
3) Company replaces the Nostromo's science officer with Ash at some stop along the way.
4) Alien: The movie happens.

Even if they put Ash onto the ship before it ever left Earth it all still works. Since the original movie implies that trips take months then it's still a matter of "which ship will be closest in the next year or two."

And yeah, I fully believe it was done that way so they could be sneaky about it. Probably to avoid red tape and other companies knowing what they have.

[stu]

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/10/fox_flips_for_damon_lindelofs.html

[Margalis]