In a recent press conference in Sydney, veteran British filmmaker Ridley Scott announced updates on his current project, "Alien: Covenant", the sequel to the 2012 sci-fi film, "Prometheus".
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scott confirmed that Alien: Covenant will be the first in a trilogy, stemming from Prometheus. This trilogy will serve as the origin story to explain events and questions arising from the 1979 "Alien" movie which starred Sigourney Weaver and Tom Skerritt, and which Scott also directed. Essential questions like "Why are there aliens?", Where do they come from?", and "Who made them and why" will be addressed.
Alien: Covenant will immediately pick up from where Prometheus left off. At the end of Prometheus, only David 8 and Elizabeth Shaw survived the doomed Prometheus expedition. The sequel will involve actor Michael Fassbender playing more than one version of the android David 8, which confirms a plot leak of multiple Davids which started in a fan forum early this year.
Scott also announced the filming location to be in Sydney, Australia, where pre-production has already begun. He is keen on hiring Aussie actors to fill remaining roles. Filming will begin in March 2016. Lead actor Fassbender is expected to arrive in Sydney by mid-March, and stay there for a 16-week-long shoot.
Alien: Covenant was initially given the working title "Alien: Paradise Lost". Scott changed his mind back in early November. Movie distributor Twentieth Century Fox, supported the decision and even put up an official announcement showing the new film title and a synopsis.
Directors Nimrod Antal ("Predator"), Neill Blomkamp ("Alien 5"), and Ridley Scott will collaborate on storyline ideas to avoid overlapping and redundant details in their respective movie franchises. Alien: Covenant writers include Jack Paglen, John Logan, and Michael Green.
Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace reprise their roles as David 8 the android, and archeologist Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. However, Scott confirmed that Rapace's character will only appear briefly in Alien: Covenant. He adds that the fate of Shaw and David 8 will be further explored in the follow-up to Covenant. Other cast details are still undisclosed.
Alien: Covenant is scheduled for release in theaters on October 6, 2017.
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