Before Alien: Covenant got off the ground and into the swing of production, there was a complimentary project in the works that fans were equally, if not more, excited about. That project was Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5, which would have seen Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn returning to the roles of Ripley and Hicks, respectively. We reiterate these facts with a heavy emphasis on "was," as a new update on the film's condition has it left it endangered, if not totally cancelled, according to the following cryptic tweet:
Neill Blomkamp himself made this announcement on his Twitter recently, and to hear it from the man himself makes us even sadder to hear it. As you'll remember, Alien 5 was being hinted at around the same time the sequel to Prometheus was being toyed around with. Eventually, in deference to Ridley Scott's project and status as the series' creator, Blomkamp's film was put on a back burner in favor for Alien: Covenant. It didn't feel like the project would be cancelled, as Blomkamp's vision was still pretty popular with fans of the original films, in particular James Cameron's Aliens. But, unfortunately, it now seems like the delay was a quiet death for the project over time.
This is only the latest hurdle that Alien 5's production has come up against, as it was not only previously announced as being cancelled, but it also had to change its story to allow for Alien: Covenant to proceed as freely as possible. With this latest update from Neill Blomkamp, it sounds like Sir Ridley Scott may have not only had some ideas for where Covenant should take the series, but also what the future may hold for the legendary series, and quite possibly its most important character.
With the endgame of the Alien series always involving the linkage between the prequels and the adventures of Ellen Ripley, Ridley Scott is obviously going to be protective of what will be going into his beloved property. Though we still have to wonder if Alien 5 has a slim chance of happening because it involves furthering Ripley's story, or if it's because Neill Blomkamp was making it. Keeping all of this in mind, we're still looking forward to Alien: Covenant just as much as we previously were. But part of us still mourns what could have come from Blomkamp's daring idea.
However, this isn't an official cancellation from the studio, nor is there an official explanation as to why this project is in such dire straits. For now, we'll have to stay cautiously optimistic and enjoy Alien: Covenant when it hits theaters on May 12th.
