Will Ridley Scott Direct The Alien Prequel?

So will he or won't he? No one seems to know for sure. First we were informed that Ridley Scott and his brother Tony were producing the film. Now we are hearing that Fox is pounding its mega-powerful fist on the table, pointing at Ridley to direct the movie.

My personal take is this. First, I absolutely love Alien to death. I've seen that movie probably between 30 and 40 times since my dad took me to see it in the theater back in the day. Second, as good a film as Cameron's follow-up is, I still do not think it's as good a film as the original. There is something to be said for building suspense and then unleashing it on an audience -- and that is exactly what Ridley Scott did. Not only was Alien filled with groundbreaking, mesmerizing eye candy and fascinating twists and turns, it also f#*%ing scared you. Third, a prequel is a dangerous gamble. Think about it. We already know what is going to happen, since we've seen Alien and all of the (mostly shitty) sequels. So what is it that Fox needs to do to ensure this becomes a good sci-fi film? I honestly don't know.

What do you think? Can Ridley Scott pull it off? Does he need to direct this prequel in order to pull the franchise out of the gutter? What other things need to happen to make this thing fly and fly well? H. R. Giger should somehow be involved again, right? So many questions!

In the meantime, I submit this, a post by "Mori" via this AICN Talkback. I think it hits the nail on the head in so many respects...

If this film has to be made, Ridley's the man to do it. But my advise is steer clear of the signature elements that plague most sequels. For some reason, studio execs seem to think that if a movie moment worked first time around, it's good to to re do it again, ie an Alien film check list must have the following moments. 1- must have a chest burster scene, 2- must have a robotic human, 3- must have Sigourney Weaver, 4- must have endless corridor chasing 5- must have acid blood corrosion. It's tiresome & cheap second time around, we see through it. If another Alien film is unavoidable, re think it, make it different, avoid repetition. An Alien prequel needs to go back to it's roots. Dark, twisted, wierd, scary. No action hero types, cast character actors, it's more realistic that way. No kids. Go back to the Giger vibe. Be brave Fox, go out on a limb, give us the unexpected. Also, delete AVP Requiem from your catalogue, withdraw the DVD's from the shelves, take back the fee you paid that pair of dunderheads that tried to direct it.