A few weeks back director Neill Blomkamp of District 9, Elysium, and the upcoming Chappie, teased fans with a glimpse of some concept artwork for an Alien film. Well, Blomkamp took the brakes off today and announced that this new Alien film would be his next project. At present I don’t know whether to be excited or nervous. Sure, District 9 was one of the finest sci-fi movies made in recent memory. However, Elysium was a major disappointment, driving home its message with all the subtlety and nuance of a Lyndon LaRouche supporter. As for Chappie, we’ll know how it holds up when it opens on March 5th, though I can’t say that the trailers have filled me with optimism.
Even so, our enthusiasm should remained tempered – remember Prometheus? – as there haven’t been any word on casting and writers. Also, we don’t know how or if this will conflict with the scheduled sequel to Prometheus considering they’re both supposed to take place within the same universe. It’s been nearly 20 years, not counting AvP or Prometheus, since we’ve gotten an Alien film. I like all the Alien films, yes, including Alien: Resurrection, but I’m still cautiously optimistic that we can get another kick-ass Alien flick. Here’s hoping Blomkamp can do it.
