While Alien 5 is still in a holding pattern, writer/director Neill Blomkamp isn't letting that fact slow his creative juices down for a second. In fact, in honor of today's "Alien Day" festivities, he's released a new piece of concept art that promises the return of a fan-favorite character who we haven't seen in ages. Get your first glimpse at a very grown up Newt in the concept art below.
Neill Blomkamp took to his Instagram feed with the art you see above, and we have to admit, it's exciting! When we last saw little Newt, she was being put into cryo-sleep, alongside Ripley and Hicks – the survivors of the disastrous mission that took place in James Cameron's 1986 blockbuster, Aliens. Of course, knowing where Newt's story went after that moment is exactly what makes this news so exciting – as it looked like we'd never see the sole survivor of the Hadley's Hope colony ever again.
Fans of the franchise will remember that at the beginning of David Fincher's Alien 3, one of the bleak details that kick-started the film was the fact that Hicks and Newt were killed when their escape pod crashed on Fiorina "Fury" 161. This was a decision that angered a lot of folks, particularly due to the fact that Aliens took such pains to set up Newt as a sort of surrogate daughter to Ripley, who lost her own daughter due to the ravages of time and her own extended cryo-sleep after the events of Alien. So chalk up another piece of evidence that suggests Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 is ignoring Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, despite his claims to the contrary. Sorry Ron Perlman.
What's even more exciting about Newt's return is the fact that if you look at the concept art really closely, you'll see that it looks exactly like what Aliens star Carrie Henn looks like today. Blomkamp could have very easily recast this role, and possibly might have had some sort of pressure from 20th Century Fox to find a fresh "name" actor to take the role. It wouldn't have been a stretch to see Jennifer Lawrence, or someone of her stature, being suggested for the role; but it looks like Neil Blomkamp is going full OG on Alien 5. Take a look at Carrie Henn today, via this post from her Twitter account, and tell us this isn't a striking resemblance.
Alien 5 is promising to bring back everyone's favorite little survivor from Aliens, but in a very grown-up manner. If Ripley has taught her anything after the events of their fateful introduction, then we're probably going to see a Newt that'll kick all sorts of intergalactic ass alongside Ripley and Hicks. If that's not a reason to be excited for Alien 5, we don't know what is. In the meantime, since Neill Blomkamp's film is currently on hold, we'll be able to see the Alien series progress with the next prequel, Alien: Covenant, when it hits theaters on August 4, 2017.
