Ridley Scott said interview with ScreenRant that “I’ve done enough” when it comes to the “Alien” franchise, which he started 46 years ago.
Scott produced last year’s well-reviewed “Alien: Romulus” movie, and he’s an executive producer on Noah Hawley’s upcoming FX series “Alien: Earth.” But it appears Scott’s days of directing “Alien” projects is over. As he summed up: “Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further.”
Scott said the “Alien” franchise is “spreading like wildfire,” which he’s more or less amazed at considering there was a time when he thought the series was as good as dead. Scott directed 1979’s “Alien” before handing the franchise to James Cameron for 1986’s “Aliens.” The series then took stumbles with divisive entries from the likes of David Fincher (“Alien 3”) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (“Alien Resurrection”).
“I think I felt it was deadened after 4,” Scott said. “I think mine was pretty damn good, and I think Jim’s was good, and I have to say the rest were not very good. And I thought, ‘Fuck, that’s the end of a franchise which should be as important as bloody “Star Trek” or “Star Wars,”‘ which I think is phenomenal. At least, I think the first one by George is seminal. It was as seminal as ‘2001.’ To me, it was that important in terms of film language and where you go next.”
Scott was offered “Alien” a year after “Star Wars,” although as he explained: “I was the fifth fucking choice. Why you’d offer Robert Altman ‘Alien,’ God only knows. Altman said, ‘Are you kidding? I’m not going to do this,’ and I went, ‘Are you kidding? I have to do this,’ because it borders and verges on heavy metal. So that’s where I went, and then it died.”
“A number of years after, I said, ‘I’m going to resurrect this,’ [and wrote] ‘Prometheus’ from scratch – a blank sheet of paper. Damon Lindelof and I sat then hammered out ‘Prometheus,’” Scott said of reviving the franchise in 2012 after a 15-year hiatus. “It was very present and very welcome. The audience really wanted more. I said, ‘It needs to fly.’ No one was coming for it, [and] I went once again [and made] ‘Alien: Covenant,’ and it worked too. Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further.”
Next up for the “Alien” franchise is the debut of “Alien Earth” on Aug. 12 and an undated film sequel to “Alien: Romulus” that will likely feature the return of director Fede Alvarez.
From Variety US