Ever since Neill Blomkamp officially announced a week and a half ago that a new Alien movie - temporarily known as Alien 5 - would be his next directorial effort, the floodgates have opened for minor details about the project. The latest comes from Michael Biehn - who famously played Hicks in James Cameron's Aliens - and it sounds like we can expect his involvement in the upcoming sequel.
The actor attended Pensacola Comic Con - a.k.a. Pensacon - this weekend, and it seems he took the time to answer in the affirmative about his potential involvement in what looks to be the next installment of the Alien franchise. This news comes from a Reddit user who evidently was able to ask Michael Biehn two quick questions about his potential future with Alien 5 after seeing him at the convention. According to the source, the actor "smiled and said, 'Yes.'" when asked if he had been contacted about the new sequel, and when later asked if he would be game to do it, he reportedly said, "Looks like it!"
It would certainly be easier to take this story seriously if it were from a notable source, but this isn't the first evidence we've seen suggesting that Hicks could play a role in what Neill Blomkamp has in store for Alien 5. After all, he was very clearly pictured alongside a bomb-strapped Ellen Ripley in one of the pieces of concept art that the filmmaker released at the beginning of January:
What's interesting/confusing about all of this is one simple fact: Hicks died in the opening scene of Alien 3. As a result, we're forced to question exactly how he might appear alongside an older Ripley in the new Alien film - especially if the movie is keeping the continuity of Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection alive. One theory that has been put into the atmosphere is that the movie takes place between the events of Alien and Alien 3 - though the character's aging could be an issue there. Another possibility is that what Michael Biehn will be playing won't actually be Hicks, but instead a clone. Or maybe somehow we'll just see time travel introduced and that will be used to have everything make sense again.
This isn't necessarily what one could really call confirmation of Michael Biehn being in Aliens 5, but I'd be more than happy to hear about his involvement - if not simply because it means that Neill Blomkamp is taking narrative challenges head-on, which means that creative, complex storytelling is all but guaranteed. My fingers are crossed.
