Ridley Scott's Prometheus / Alien Prequel

[Davies]

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this thread for the upcoming science fiction film by Sir Ridley Scott entitled Prometheus. For those in the dark; Prometheus is a film set in the same universe as Sir Scott's classic 1979 film Alien and its sequels.

I posted the first third of this post in a separate topic (that bizarrely started out in the Jurassic Park section) but seeming as this is easily my most anticipated movie in quite some time, I felt it only right to give it it's own thread.

The idea of this thread is for myself and others to post the latest news and gossip regarding Prometheus, as well as acting as a hub for us all to project our own thoughts and predictions on the project.

This post starts with the original post and then it morphs into an update (much like the xenomorph itself) on the latest happenings, of which there are several. Enjoy...

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MU-THUR ENGAGED
WEYLAND-YUTANI CORP [CR 2016]
INTERFACE 2037 - READY FOR TRANSMISSION

[BEGIN TRANSMISSION]:

Since the upsetting news of the morphing of the Alien prequel into Ridley's Scott's original sci-fi Prometheus, Sky Movies has released two onset reports from Pinewood (where the sets have been built and shooting is about to begin):

The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated, Mr. S Jockey told the press yesterday.

An 8 foot Space Jockey asks for some indigestion relief tablets, suspects it was probably something he ate.

The long and short appears to be that whilst Prometheus won't necessarily be a direct part of the Alien series, it will be focusing and expanding upon the origin of the mysterious species known only as the Space Jockeys, so named because of the skeletal remains of the alien pilot glimpsed in Ridley Scott's '79 classic.

Of course this does mean that Prometheus won't necessarily be a prequel but it could take place anytime around the Alien movies timeline. Either way it does appear to be set within the same universe so colour me very, very excited. After all, we've only been waiting 30 odd years for an expansion upon the Space Jockey, not to mention the return of H.R. Giger (who is acting as a consultant on the movie) and Ridley Scott's long overdue return to hardcore sci-fi, his first such film since 1982's Blade Runner, the year of my birth!

...I should reach the premier in about sixteen months. With a little luck, the Network will pick it up for TV syndication. This is Davies, far from the last follower of the Prometheus... signing off.

[TRANSMISSION ENDS]

The original concept of the Space Jockey by H.R. Giger


The Space Jockey as seen in Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien


A fan concept of what living Space Jockeys might look like


This is not a Space Jockey but in fact a Space Cat named Hobbes the Kilrathi. However, Hobbes is purring in anticipation of Prometheus

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LATEST UPDATE

This is rumor control people, here are the facts...

A Swiss newspaper (titled Blick) has a short interview with the acclaimed dark artist H.R. Giger, father of the star beast seen in Alien. He had this to say:

"Ridley Scott and I met in London to discuss the details of the project" confirms Giger. "It was a warm reunion after such a long time".

Giger has told the newspaper that he is working on something for the film in his studio (located in Zurich). One can only assume that this will be a creature of some kind, possibly the Space Jockey itself. When pressed for details Giger had to choose his words carefully as he explained that he is currently "strictly regulated by a contract" (presumably with 20th Century Fox).

However, he did say this of the piece he is currently working on for the film; "It is huge. I can not tell [you] what I’m doing exactly". Further to this the living legend also gave further confirmation that Prometheus does in fact take place within the same universe as Alien.

The last nugget of information that Giger let slip is that the budget for the picture comes in at 230 million swiss francs. Which translates as approximately 250 million United States Dollars. If this is true, then clearly Fox have great faith in the script and attached talent. It is also worth noting that it appears that Giger is much more than a consultant on the movie now and is actually involved in the production side of things (as he was for the original).

H.R. Giger, hard at work on his baby, at Pinewood Studios ('78)


Giger poses with two of his creations

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We help build those you know...

The usually reliable UK comics blog Bleeding Cool has communicated with a trusted source to try and sort the fact from the fiction and the (not surprisingly anonymous) source had this to say:

“Remember how the alien took on canine qualities after gestating in a dog"?, which is a reference to the theatrical cut of Alien3 (as opposed to the Ox seen in the assembly cut). He continues...

"You may even suppose that the first film’s alien was so recognisably humanoid because it had grown in a human. The same applies here: generation by generation, the creature mutates. As Prometheus begins, the xenomorph is not too recognisable. Sure, it has that alien DNA that Scott and Fassbender teasingly referred to, but it’s missing… well, it’s missing human DNA. Or dog DNA".

Which is hardly a theory new to Alien fanatics such as myself but none the less, it provides the filmmakers with the opportunity to explore new avenues within the 32 year old franchise. The source goes on...

"All you have to do is imagine how it might look if it were to mix DNA with another alien species… and I think we’re starting to work it all out". Now, I'm thinking that the alien DNA in question will be the Space Jockey's. Remember how in the original film, the Jockey's rib cage had burst from the inside?

This theory would also give credence to the earlier rumors of much larger versions of the aliens than we've previously seen. In the previous films the aliens that spawned from us humans were much taller than we are (some eight foot), so imagine the sheer size of an alien that bursts from a creature that already dwarves our species. We could be witnessing some truly Lovecraftian Cthulhuesque monsters in the near future.

An image of a xenomorpth born from a Space Jockey, as seen through the eyes of an artist for one of the many Alien graphic novels. To get an idea of perspective, check out the man sized android being crushed in the creatures hand

The source also revealed that the story will centre on a planet that has been terraformed to create the perfect environment in which a particular bio-weapon would prosper and multiply. It's hard not to think of those Jockeys once again, using a planet to amass an army of xenomorths.

Terraforming within the franchise was first explored in James Cameron's Aliens

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ADDITIONAL

I've decided to provide a quick summary of previously released information that came about before I started this thread. Observe:

My squad of ultimate badasses will protect you...

The confirmed actors for Prometheus are:

* Michael Fassbender plays an android named David. You can watch an interview with him here, where he discusses his upcoming role in Prometheus.

* Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, who may possibly be playing a marine.

* Charlize Theron's role is unknown at the moment but she is confirmed as being cast.

* Scoot McNairy is believed to be in talks to play an unknown role.

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Newt, go strap yourself in

An artist named Matthew Savage is attached to Prometheus to provide concept art. Whilst there have been no leaks of his work on the movie, his website does contain the following pieces of his artwork, all of which are sci-fi based and as such offer a tantalising glimpse what we may come to see in Prometheus...

It may be best to ignore the blood soaked figure for now (if that's possible) and to take a gander at the way Matthew has envisioned the corridor. It's not unlike the ones seen onboard the Nostromo in Alien and at Hadley's Hope in Aliens

This is more than a little reminiscent of the vehicles seen in Aliens: Special Edition. As are the following...






If this doesn't scream Alien, then I don't know what does but of course in space no-one can hear you scream

Prometheus is currently schedeled for release on June 8th, 2012. This changes the release date from the previously stated March 9th, 2012. This may be a further sign that Fox has great faith in the film and has deemed it worthy of a prime slot during the Summer.

I think that just about covers the main pieces of interest until the next wave of news and rumors hits. Until then, why not stop your grinning, drop your linen and share your thoughts and ruminations on Prometheus...

For more information on Prometheus be sure to check out this site.
For even more news and gossip on not just Prometheus but also the Alien and even Predator films in general (not to mention a superb network of forums) please have a look at the AVP Galaxy site.

[doodo!]

Awesome thread! But yes, you clearly spent ages making this...

[LuigiHann]

That sounds pretty great

[Davies]

Originally Posted by doodo!

Awesome thread! But yes, you clearly spent ages making this...

Bless you