Ridley Scott’s Next Film Is ‘Prometheus II’!

While talking with Empire Magazine about his tantalizing new movie The Martian, Ridley Scott said that he’s already begun scouting locations for his next movie, Prometheus II. The offhand comment sent me into fits of geeky glee.

First here, let’s attempt to get everyone on the same page. Number one; Aliens was James Cameron’s (Terminator, Terminator 2, Avatar, etc.) movie, as much as Alien³ was—I say this very lovingly—David Fincher’s (Seven, The Game, Fight Club, on and on. . .) and Alien: Resurrection was—again, with love—that wonderfully crazy French bastard, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s (Amelie, City of Lost Children, Delicatessen) and Joss Whedon’s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, The Avengers, etc.) “love child.” I deeply enjoyed each of these films on their own; appreciating what each filmmaking team brought to the original story told by Ridley Scott’s Alien. I considered each to be its own perspective and take on the Alien universe and appreciated them as such. I’m still working on my own romance/buddy-cop/comedy version that ends in a space port with the fiance running from a hive of xenomorphs to stop her true love from leaving over a misunderstanding about seating arrangements for their wedding while her space-cop partner tries to deny his feelings for the alien queen. Working title: Alien Schmalien.

The point being, Prometheus was meant to be Ridley Scott‘s extension of the Alien lore specifically, rather than the visions of other filmmakers or what the studio had in mind. The problem some may have had with the film is where it deviated from those other visions.

The problems I had, that some others might share, may have had to do with the contributions of Damon Lindelof—this is just a theory. It’s based on the number of projects I’ve been so excited to see that have come up short in the execution of the final vision—stories I discover Damon Lindelof had a hand in creating. For example: Lost, World War Z, Tomorrowland, Cowboys vs Aliens, The Leftovers, etc. Has anyone done this math yet? I believe Lindelof has excellent taste and his interest in projects he wants to be a part of is fantastic. I also believe he’s got some great skills for building intrigue and investment in a story line but he can’t seem to master the fundamental skill of the satisfying wrap-up.

I truly believe Lindelof is an excellent storyteller; his characters, dialogue and scenarios are top notch—he just can’t seem to stick the landing. He’s almost an inverse of George Lucas in some ways, who has marvelous worlds and story arcs bleeding from his very essence but seems to have trouble with characters talking.

So, for those who didn’t enjoy Prometheus at all, I think these are the two likely reasons: those who are not actually Ridley Scott fans (Blade Runner, Legend, Thelma & Louise, on and on. . .) but probably James Cameron fans and/or those who couldn’t see past the weaker parts of the story. Good news for those who are Scott fans? Lindelof is not (yet?) part of Prometheus II. But that doesn’t mean we fans are out of the woods just yet—the writers attached at the moment are Michael Green and Jack Paglen. Green (Green Lantern, Heroes) and Paglen (Transcendence) are another couple writers who, so far, are working with great material but not generating the results we’d hope for. I’m always excited to think that anyone can transcend expectations and emerge a hero!—uh, lantern. I only have their pasts to temper my hopes with for Prometheus II and I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’re all impressed—even those who aren’t Scott fans and would rather be watching Sex and the City (Green). On second thought, maybe not those ticket-buyers. (Some days I’m a Carrie—others, a Samantha.)

My recommendation to anyone looking to set the dial on their own expectations (good or bad) is to watch Alien and Prometheus—these are directly Ridley Scott’s visions of this universe. Any of the other films, entertaining as they may be, won’t properly let you know what you’re in for. If you’re just a fan of the marvelous Aliens, you’ll be better off hosting a Terminator 2/Avatar marathon—”Come with me if you want unobtainium!” If you’re a fan of the grossly underloved films Alien³ and/or Alien: Resurrection I think we should get together to form our own support group. Seriously.

Bottom line? I’m stoked! IMDB has Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace—two names I cut and pasted to make sure I didn’t misspell them—attached to reprise their roles as android David and archaeologist/scientist Elizabeth Shaw. The story will likely involve their voyage to the homeworld of the “engineers.” Again, full on stoke mode! And you can be sure that we will keep you up to date as any new details emerge.