Skip to content
For those who aren’t closely attached to it, the Alien franchise that started way back in 1979 may be starting to look a bit complicated. The series now includes three sequels, as well as 2012’s mind-bending prequel Prometheus, and now we’re on the cusp of two additional films. One is intended to be the fifth film in the Alien line, and the other a sequel to Prometheus (still set before the events of Alien). Let’s take a look at what’s going on with the respective projects.
There have been some murmurs that Alien 5 (which is not an official title) may be delayed given that Ridley Scott wants his Prometheus sequel to come out first. However, a potential delay will not, as some have feared, kill the project. According to The Independent, which had some quotes from lead actress Sigourney Weaver, Alien 5 is still going to happen. Weaver says that she and director Neill Blomkamp are very enthusiastic about the project, and she states multiple times that the script is terrific. So while there may be a wait in order to make way for the Prometheus sequel, we can still anticipate Alien 5 probably by 2018 or so.
That’s a particularly intriguing release to look forward to, because it will mark the first continuation of the franchise’s original timeline since 1997’s Alien: Resurrection. The original four films have remained popular (as has the spin-off Alien vs. Predator saga), and in recent years there have actually been a couple of video games to come out based on the series. “Alien: Isolation” was released by Sega for consoles in 2014 acting as a sort of sequel to Alien and was greeted to rave reviews, prompting calls for a follow-up. And, as Casino Source points out in its list of mainstream casino site features, there’s also an “Aliens” slot machine you can enjoy online that builds on the tense sci-fi atmosphere the films are known for. It’s less of an action/adventure experience and more of a themed arcade with real money gameplay, but it still serves as a reminder of the original series’ popularity. That’s the popularity that Blomkamp and Weaver will attempt to build on when we finally get to see Alien 5.
But before we ever get to that fascinating project, we’ll come face-to-face with Ridley Scott’s own follow-up to Prometheus. Titled (somewhat confusingly) Alien: Covenant, it’s expected to come out at some point in 2017. As noted by First Showing, there appears to have been a delay on the release, pushing the film to late summer or early autumn of next year, but if all goes well between now and then it will still be a 2017 release.
Set after the events of Prometheus but before Alien, this film will reportedly concern a new interstellar expedition that will fall upon the same planet where the crew of the Prometheus met its doom. There they’ll find the synthetic David (Michael Fassbender), and possibly Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), the last survivors of the Prometheus mission. It’s also expected that this film will lead to one last prequel film concluding the prequel trilogy and running into the events of Alien.
That pretty much covers our expectations for the next two years of this sprawling and seemingly never-ending franchise. And it sounds like the next few chapters will be very exciting.