Ridley Scott will Direct the Alien Prequel

In April Fox executive Tom Rothman said there was “some talk” of revisiting the Alien series and director Ridley Scott was “toying around with the idea” of coming back in some capacity.

Then in May, word escaped that Scott was producing a prequel to the iconic sci-fi film with his brother Tony and business partner Michael Costigan (Body of Lies, The Taking of Pelham 123).  Carl Rinsch was attached as the director serving under the trio of tested Hollywood talents.

Today there is a shocking new development:  Ridley Scott will direct the prequel for Fox. The filmmaker who created the original in 1979 is officially on board as director, according to Variety.

It seems Fox wasn’t too keen on the idea of Scott simply overseeing the production and wanted him behind the camera too.  I would love to hear what kind of deal was made there.  Rinsch may be a good TV commercial director but he likely doesn’t have the name recognition the studio was looking for to resurrect the franchise, especially after Fox ruined it with two garbage Aliens vs. Predator movies.

Writing the script is Jon Spaihts, who doesn’t have a completed movie yet but managed to pitch Fox and Scott Free Productions on his idea.  The space story will center on a commercial towing ship returning to Earth that is awakened by a distress signal from a nearby vessel.  It’s only when they reach the empty ship that they realize the message was meant to warn them.

I don’t understand why Ridley Scott would want to go back to Alien.  He didn’t shoot any of the sequels, leaving them for other brilliant directors like James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, so why go back now?  Why not let another new talent take a shot at something different?