'Alien 5': Sigourney Weaver Says James Cameron Liked Blomkamp's Idea
Neill Blomkamp has been talking about wanting to make Alien 5 for years, though he has also admitted that the project won't be coming together for nearly as long. Sigourney Weaver, who has expressed interest in the project, recently confirmed that Aliens director James Cameron supports the idea, even if it's unlikely the movie could ever move forward.
"We almost started to do it when I was working with James Cameron. But by the time we were put off by Fox, Neill had gotten so many jobs that we’d have to wait probably," Weaver shared with The Hollywood Reporter. "I’m busy doing Avatar 4and 5. I love working with Neill and I think he’d do a terrific job, and James Cameron really thinks it’s a great idea, so you never know. Right now, I think Neill’s got like three projects going at once."
The Alien franchise kicked off nearly 40 years ago and has delivered audiences defining entries in the sci-fi genre. Despite its accomplishments, the success rate of a majority of the franchise's entries
The third and fourth films in the series were both financial and critical stumbling blocks in the series, which then pivoted and delivered audiences two faceoff films with another seminal sci-fi series, Predator. Unfortunately, these films were even more disappointing than the proper Alien sequels, resulting in original director Ridley Scott stepping in to deliver audiences the prequel film Prometheus.
Ahead of the release of the 2012 prequel, Blomkamp began to discuss his intentions for an Alien 5, which would have been a direct sequel to Aliens, ultimately negating the events of Alien 3. With that film opening with the deaths of beloved characters, Blomkamp's ideas immediately resonated with fans, even if most of what he teased fans with was concept art he created.
Scott began to depart from a narrative focusing on the iconic xenomorph creature with Prometheus, instead focusing on the dangers of artificial intelligence. While some fans appreciated the series heading into new directions, other fans were disappointed that they didn't get to see much of the beloved monster.
Last year, Alien: Covenant aimed to make up for the lack of a xenomorph, though its release still resulted in an underwhelming critical and financial performance.
Disney is currently in the process of purchasing a majority of 20th Century Fox's theatrical assets, which would include the Alien franchise. With Disney not often making R-rated sci-fi horror films, the future of the Alien series, in any capacity, doesn't look bright.
Stay tuned for details on what's next for the Alien franchise.
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[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]