Ridley Scott's Prometheus (Alien Prequel) Thread

[Davies]

Four leaked photos from the set of Ridley Scott's upcoming film Prometheus (aka the prequel to Alien) have been leaked. Observe and worship the following slices of awesomeness...

A cave of some sort. You may note that the walls have an H.R. Giger (the creator of the Alien creature) vibe to them. Also, please note that the tractor is not a part of a set but rather an asset of the production team.


Mankind discovers an ancient doorway built by the mysterious Space Jockey race (whose skeletal remains were seen in the original Alien). Note the hieroglyphics surrounding the archway.


This is the secondary arch, just beyond the entrance shown in the pervious photo. Note the scale of the set against the chair towards the lower portion of the photo, this set is fucking epic!


We're now through the second archway and standing in the main chamber. All three of the above photos are displaying one massive, glorious set. You may notice that we're certainly not in Kansas anymore, but inside the genius mind of H.R. Giger. The franchise hasn't looked this close to its source material since Ridley's original '79 masterpiece...


This is the Space Jockey set from the original Alien. It looks rather similar to the leaked photo above, yes?

[Ribs]

Heh, have they cut the 'aliens force two men to have sex as they think that's how people reproduce' scene that was in the early draft of the script yet?

[Davies]

Originally Posted by Ribs

Heh, have they cut the 'aliens force two men to have sex as they think that's how people reproduce' scene that was in the early draft of the script yet?

Actually, a fanboy emerged quite some time ago and confirmed that he had written the "Alien Harvest" script as a fan project. In short, it was never an official script. Therefore, there'll be no man-on-man rape action in Prometheus because it was never even considered by those involved within the production... thankfully.

[DAISHI]

I thought it was no longer attached to the Alien franchise.

[Irishmile]

Originally Posted by DAISHI

I thought it was no longer attached to the Alien franchise.

Yeah... that is what I last read too... Seemed to me Scott just doesnt want to share credit with the other people responsible for Alien... So he was all like "this is a movie I totally thought up myself all by myself, feel free to still think its connected to Alien... as long as I do not have to share money or credit."

He didn't actually say that but its pretty much what I got from it. Seems like an asshole move to me.

[Johro]

O'bannon and Shusett didnt like each others scripts to begin with so who-chose-what ideas are still debated. Anyways, I personally think he pursued a different path partially because of what AVP and Sigourney Weaver did to the franchise(as much as I like her, most of the less popular ideas from 3 and Resurrection were hers). I say partially because I also think that the main reason was because he wanted to make it his own instead of a prequel to a franchise...he had an idea, pitched it as a prequel to a popular franchise, sold it, and did what he wanted after.

and by the way, Ridley doesnt have a writing credit even though he steered it. He isnt "sharing" writing credit because he doesn't even HAVE any(and thats the only credit anyone else from the previous films would have gotten. Character credit to be exact). It IS still being made by the Alien production company Brandywine and the studio owns a lot of the rights anyways. This is a wait and see deal for me. We'll see if it sucks.

[Davies]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

Yeah... that is what I last read too... Seemed to me Scott just doesnt want to share credit with the other people responsible for Alien... So he was all like "this is a movie I totally thought up myself all by myself, feel free to still think its connected to Alien... as long as I do not have to share money or credit."

He didn't actually say that but its pretty much what I got from it. Seems like an asshole move to me.

Oh wow, you couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Here's the low down...

* Ridley Scott has toyed with the idea of returning to the Alien franchise with a prequel for decades now, but has always stated that he's been holding off for a decent script because he felt there was no point in going back to that universe unless there was a worthy tale to be told. Now that's what I call artistic integrity.

Also, he frequently has stated in the past that he felt a prequel was the only worthwhile direction to take the franchise in and that he had a concept that he'd like to pursue (i.e. the how's and why's of the Space Jockey).

* As far back as the earliest Laserdisc / DVD commentaries of Alien, Sir Scott has expressed his interest in exploring the backstory of the mysterious Space Jockey species and often showed his bemusement at the multiple sequel's failure to expand upon the fascinating and original potential that pursuing such an obvious avenue would offer.

* The Alien prequel is officially announced, with Carl Erik Rinsch (an understudy of Ridley's, hand picked by the man himself) set to direct, based off a script by Jon Spaights (with the overriding story coming from Ridley Scott). However, Fox decides that it's through fucking over it's once glorious franchise with crap like the AVP movies and are not willing to take any risks this time with a relatively unproven director and so they demand that either Ridley Scott directs it or there's no film at all.

* Ridley Scott is announced as director.

* With the release of the Alien Anthology on Blu-Ray, Ridley wrote a note to the customers of said boxset explaining his return to the Alien universe and his excitement at the prospect. These are his words...

"As I prepare to re-enter this world with my upcoming ALIEN prequel, watching ALIEN again on high definition Blu-ray has been both helpful and inspiring to me - a reminder of where we started and a guide to where we're going.

"I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you as we return to this dark, mysterious universe filled with Aliens, Space Jockeys and... something even more dangerous that you haven't even seen yet. Consider this [Blu-Ray set as] the ultimate primer for what's to come." - Ridley Scott

* Damon Lindelof comes on board to write a new draft of the script by Jon Spaights. Ridley releases a press release stating the following...

While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart. - Ridley Scott

It has since transpired that Ridley was attempting to distance Prometheus from the previous Alien films because the story revolves around the Space Jockey race and isn't an Alien movie in the traditional sense (i.e. Xenomorpth(s) on the loose, group of humans try to survive the ordeal, resolution).

It was an attempt to preempt the often narrow minded expectations of the masses by denying the connection for the sake of the tweenies who love the AVP movies and have never even seen the original Alien (and thus have no knowledge of the Space Jockey race). Rest assured, Prometheus does take place within the established Alien universe and will almost certainly deal with our favourite acid spilling nightmare to some extent, although most likely in a different, non-human host form that we haven't seen before.

* Casting of the film takes place and filming begins.

* We start to hear interviews with the cast members, such as up-and-coming A-listers; Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron. The cast members gush over the film to be and confirm a still very much existent Alien connection. Here's a few choice cuts from Michael Fassbender, who is playing an android (with white blood no doubt) called David (also note that the droids in the Alien movies have been called, in order, Ash, Bishop, Call and now David)...

"I walk on the set and I feel like I’m walking on a spaceship. It’s breathtaking. All the various panels and screens, and it’s just dealing with a top-notch art department and carpenters and the riggers and everything that goes into putting that together. It’s just, well, breathtaking, all of it." - Michael Fassbender

"You won't be disappointed," [with Prometheus] "I remember when they said they were going to do another Alien, I just thought, ‘Where can you go with that?' Then they sent the script — I kept wondering, 'When is this going to get bad?' and it never did." - Michael Fassbender

“I’m a drooling Alien fan. Alien and Aliens, both of them. And Blade Runner, which I recently watched again. I’m really looking forward to stepping into a Ridley [Scott] sci-fi world. […] [T]he script by Damon Lindelof is really intelligent and has a nice pace to it. Plus, if I’m honest with you, I sort of approach my work as a fan. I’m a massive movie fan and I like to go on an adventure ride as much as I like to see something that has a bit of social commentary to it.” - Michael Fassbender

“It’s not ignoring Alien, there’s still a link to that world. But it’s a different story. It’s definitely connected, though.” - Michael Fassbender

* Damon Lindelof recently discussed the film's connection to Alien and the reasoning behind it's vagueness (which actually makes a lot of sense and such wisdom could have saved us from the god awful Star Wars prequels)...

“It started as an Alien prequel. That is what everybody wanted it to be … But there is a real issue which is — what is the state of the Alien franchise at this point in our lives? There has been Alien vs. Predator and all these things, and its been completely and totally diluted. I’ve always felt that really good prequels should be original movies. And the sequels to those prequels should not be the movie which already exists because, with all due respect to anyone who makes a prequel, but why would you ruin the greatest twist in the history of cinema, “Luke, I am your father”, by showing me three movies which basically spoil that surprise?”

“Show me something else which I can’t guess the possible outcome of. There is no suspense in inevitability. So a true prequel should essentially precede the events of the original film, but be about something entirely different, feature different characters , have an entirely different theme, although it takes place in that same world. That was my fundamental feeling about what this movie wanted to be.”

“I also do feel that [Prometheus] is the movie I would want to see as a fanboy, [it] takes place in that Alien universe, which precedes the events of the original Alien, but is not necessarily burdened by all the tropes of that franchise with Facehuggers and Chestbursters, and all that stuff that I love… but its sorta like, we’ve seen it before, can we do something different this time? And thats the movie that Ridley wanted to make. And when you’re working with an auteur, you basically just shut your mouth and listen and try to transcribe and channel the vision of that person, and get out of the way.” - Damon Lindelof

Originally Posted by Irishmile

So [Ridley Scott] was all like "this is a movie I totally thought up myself all by myself, feel free to still think its connected to Alien... as long as I do not have to share money or credit."

He didn't actually say that but its pretty much what I got from it. Seems like an asshole move to me.

You probably shouldn't insinuate that people are assholes without the facts. The original writers of Alien; Dan O'Bannon and Ron Shusett are getting credits on the film as well as payment (in the case of O'Bannon's unfortunate passing, the money has been confirmed as going to his wife, by herself no less).

Also, Ridley Scott has got the "father" of the Alien creature, the superb artist H.R. Giger to return as a consultant, designer and sculpture maker for Prometheus. Seeming as Giger previously left the franchise on very bad terms with Fox (due to the suits financially shafting him time and time again), it's no small potatoes that he's returning. Why is he returning? Because he has immense respect for Ridley Scott and equally Ridley Scott has immense respect for H.R. Giger.

On top of this, the original producers / co-writers of the Alien films, Walter Hill and David Giler have been paid and credited for Prometheus.

So, yeah... don't go bad mouthing folks when you're coming from a place of total ignorance.

[Johro]

I'm going to add that I wasn't intending to imply that Ridley was disguising his true vision for an alien sequel to deceive anybody....it just came out that way. I've had the day off and have been...indulging in adult pleasures and it just came out that way. It just sort of happened that way. I'm a die hard Alien fan and Davies is absolutely correct. I'm not heartbroken this project has chosen a different direction, but I am weary. I want it to stand on it's own within the universe as Ridley has been saying. Either link it or dont, I just dont want it to be seperate with a facehugger scurrying around at the credits.

[LuigiHann]

Very nice writeup, Davies. I read the Lindelof quote a few days ago. It's very promising. Very good vision for what a prequel should be. In fact, more sequels should be like that as well. When you've got such a big, interesting universe, why keep showing us the same tiny bits of it...

[Davies]

Originally Posted by Johro

...I wasn't intending to imply that Ridley was disguising his true vision for an alien sequel to deceive anybody....it just came out that way... I'm not heartbroken this project has chosen a different direction, but I am weary. I want it to stand on it's own within the universe as Ridley has been saying. Either link it or dont, I just dont want it to be seperate with a facehugger scurrying around at the credits.

I agree with your thoughts. Although, I am curious as to whether you're happy with the concept of Prometheus being more about the Space Jockey race and less about the xenomorpth? By the way, why haven't us fans come up with a more suitable name than the vague and all encompassing "xenomorpth"?!

Originally Posted by Johro

O'bannon and Shusett didnt like each others scripts to begin with so who-chose-what ideas are still debated.

Call me a nit-picking, cow udder suckling, know it all, baked beanie, pompous, stuffy old Zilla-Mite if you'd care to but I believe you meant to say...

Hill and Giler didn't like O'Bannon and Shusett's script to begin with so who-chose-what ideas are still debated.

Originally Posted by Johro

...Davies is absolutely correct.

Hey, I'm always correct. Well, to be more accurate I'm mostly correct at night... mostly.

"Boooooo. I can't believe he did that tired old 'mostly' gag!"

Originally Posted by Johro

I've had the day off and have been...indulging in adult pleasures...

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

Very nice writeup, Davies.

Why, thank you kindly.

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

...more sequels should be like that as well. When you've got such a big, interesting universe, why keep showing us the same tiny bits of it...

Absol-freakin'-utely.

[Irishmile]

Yeah... I didn't read any of that... I'm sure you're right though

[Johro]

Yeah I meant Hill and Giler. *slaps self* can't believe I screwed that up.
I actually like the idea. The universe(and no, I obviously don't mind him expanding on it) needs something at this point. I'm sorry to say that Sigourney needed to go(or at least her creative control) and well I'm not so sorry to say that AVP threw too much garbage together. I do believe I can count on Scott to not have a "the end, or is it?" ending...it's the studio that I'm worried about. Anyone who has knowledge of what happened with the David Fincher incident should have the same fear. ...Just how much control does Ridley have? I do agree with Scott that the only direction the movies had was back. I don't recall if Resurrection had a date attached, but I think 3 was late 2100s or 3100s(It's been a while, I apologize for not having the dates on the top of my head at the moment, but I'm leaning towards 3100s). There's only so far ahead you can go before technology becomes a problem.

[Davies]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

Yeah... I didn't read any of that... I'm sure you're right though

Hey, no worries. Allow me to summerise for you...

* I'm asolutely right and you're completely and utterly wrong... about everything in the world... ever.

* Ridley Scott is a genius and you are not. I, however, am an even greater genius than old Riddles himself and any other such puny mortal for that matter.

* 'Space Jockeys' are the favored choice of under-garment for the astronaut who likes style and comfort.

...that is all.

Originally Posted by Johro

The universe(and no, I obviously don't mind him expanding on it) needs something at this point. I'm sorry to say that Sigourney needed to go(or at least her creative control) and well I'm not so sorry to say that AVP threw too much garbage together.

I couldn't agree more.

Originally Posted by Johro

I do believe I can count on Scott to not have a "the end, or is it?" ending...it's the studio that I'm worried about. Anyone who has knowledge of what happened with the David Fincher incident should have the same fear. ...Just how much control does Ridley have?

A lot more control than David Fincher had on the set of Alien 3, that's for sure. You have to remember that Alien3 was Fincher's first feature length film (he had been directing music videos prior to that). When Ridley Scott directed Alien in '79 he had already made his first feature film (the superb "The Duellists").

It's also worth noting that Ridley is a strong personality and always has been. He doesn't back down to the man (i.e. the suits at the studio). Fox put immense pressure on Scott throughout the filming of Alien and attempted to interfere with his vision. However, Ridley stood his ground and insisted that it was done his way. He won the battle.

I don't have the exact quote to hand (I know it's on the Alien DVD's extras somewhere) but allow me to paraphrase...

"As a director you have to fight for your vision. The studio and perhaps the crew will question your decisions and attempt to forcibly influence you, but you absolutely must stand your ground. I wonder just how many directors cave in and end up not getting exactly what they were after." - Not the actual words of Ridley Scott but damn close all the same.

Originally Posted by Johro

I don't recall if Resurrection had a date attached, but I think 3 was late 2100s or 3100s(It's been a while, I apologize for not having the dates on the top of my head at the moment, but I'm leaning towards 3100s).

Well, the first Alien never specified the year in which the film is set but the first draft of the script stated that it was set during 2087 (that might seem too soon considering the advanced tech seen in the film but you have to remember that Alien is canonically following on from the alternate future shown in Blade Runner - even if it was yet to be conceived of, where the investment in the space program never ceased up and mankind explored the farthest stars).

Aliens takes place 57 years on from the original, so that places us at 2144.

Alien3 took place only a couple of weeks on from the previous movie and so we're still in 2144.

Alien Resurrection took place approximately 200 years after the events of Alien3, which means that it's set around 2344. So you were only about 750 years off.

... but of course, Resurrection never happened in my mind.

[Johro]

Actually I was only ~30 off(if i went by my first "late 2100s" stance) I was stating from Alien3. :P

[Davies]

Originally Posted by Johro

Actually I was only ~30 off(if i went by my first "late 2100s" stance) I was stating from Alien3. :P

Ah, yes. You are indeed correct. That'll teach me to properly read other peoples posts in the future (which ever year that may be).

[GuybrushWilco]

This movie might be good, but I'd rather see a new alien 3, that pretends the original alien 3 (and alien 4) never happened. Alien 3 really killed the franchise by being so terrible.

[Davies]

Originally Posted by GuybrushWilco

This movie might be good, but I'd rather see a new alien 3, that pretends the original alien 3 (and alien 4) never happened. Alien 3 really killed the franchise by being so terrible.

For the love of God, go and watch the assembly cut of Alien3 because it's fucking awesome, m'kay?

The assembly cut reinserts much of the cut content from the theatrical release, including the best part of the entire film; where the prisoners actually trap the alien midway through the film, only for Paul McGann's character (the "dragon" worshiping Golic) to slice the throat of the guarding prisoner and release his "God".

Also, the Alien itself is born from an Ox, as opposed to a dog. We also glimpse the "super-facehugger", which acts as carrier of the Queen's seed; hence why Ripley has a Queen chestburster inside her. There are many other alterations and edits, all of which make it a vastly superior film to the version you've most likely seen.

If, having watched the assembly cut (ideally on Blu-Ray, for which they brought back a few of the cast members to re-record certain dialogue and created a few new special effects) and you still think it's crap, then there really is no hope for you. Alien3: The Assembly Cut represents the true follow up to Ridley Scott's Alien, as opposed to James Cameron's action oriented Aliens (as great as it is).

[Ribs]

Paul McGann? What? *goes to find Alien 3*

[Irishmile]

Yeah Davies is right the re-cut Alien3 is pretty awesome.... I actually think Alien3 is more of a true sequel to the original... Its more of a slow build suspense/horror like the first one... where as Aliens and Alien 4 are more of a Action/Horror.. I really like them all .... I even like the AVP movies... not as much but I enjoyed them....

[Davies]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

I actually think Alien3 is more of a true sequel to the original...

Precisely, that's why I said that.

Originally Posted by Irishmile

I even like the AVP movies... not as much but I enjoyed them....

That does it! GET OUT OF THIS FORUM RIGHT NOW!

j/k

... sorta.

Originally Posted by Ribs

Paul McGann? What? *goes to find Alien 3*

Indeed, Withnail's friend "I" is in Alien3 but be sure to watch the assembly cut, not just because it's great but because his best scenes were (insanely) cut from the theatrical version.