New film aims to be The Real Alien 3.
By Brandon Wolfe
After a week of rampant speculation, director Neill Blomkamp, doing a press tour for his upcoming film Chappie, has confirmed that his recently announced Alien sequel will indeed deal with problematic previous installments Alien³ and Alien Resurrection by simply blinking them out of existence, much like Halloween: H20 and Superman Returns did with the preceding sequels they didn’t like.
“I want this film to feel like it is literally the genetic sibling of Aliens, so it’s Alien, Aliens, this movie,” said Blomkamp. “It’s a Freudian kind of nightmare. That element to me is what is so appealing, to try to put the audience on the edge of their seat the whole time in a traditional ‘monster stalking you/dark corridor’ way. And then when you mix in the life cycle and the design elements of the Alien, it’s just a powder-keg of creativity to me.”
Blomkamp further confirmed to The Guardian that he would “categorically” rule out the return of the cloned version of Ripley showcased in Alien Resurrection.
The District 9 director first indicated his interest in reviving Alien through his posting of several pieces of personally commissioned concept art on his Instagram page, but stated at the time that he did not expect anything to come of the project. The favorable reception to the artwork made the film a reality.
Sigourney Weaver has not yet signed on to reprise her role as Ellen Ripley, but is expected to, as she is publicly expressing her interest in Blomkamp’s project. “I’m delighted that he is interested in doing this,” Weaver said. “I think it’s a great series. It deserves a proper ending. I know the fans would love that, and so I hope it works out.”
For those who might not recall, Alien³ killed off all the surviving characters from the previous film, Aliens, including, in the climax, Ripley herself. Resurrection brought the character back as a hybrid clone containing Xenomorph DNA. But that’s all irrelevant now because those movies didn’t happen.
UPDATE: Blomkamp has clarified his previous comments, stating to French film site AlloCine that he doesn't intend on jettisoning Alien³ and Alien Resurrection out of the airlock after all.
“I’m not trying to undo Alien³ and Alien Resurrection," Blomkamp said. “My favorites are the first two movies. I want to make a film that’s connected to Alien and Aliens. That’s my goal.”
How Blomkamp intends to make a film with a significantly older Ripley and a still-alive Hicks that's only connected to the first two films without removing the third and fourth films from continuity will be some trick. Can't wait to see how he pulls off that one.
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