The newest trailer forAlien: Earthpromised to change the entireAlienfranchise in one huge way, and it could fulfill a goal Ridley Scott has had sincePrometheus. Ridley Scott was the director behind the originalAlien, and he got a chance to flesh outtheAlientimelinein 2012 with his prequel filmPrometheus. It was an ambitious film, but it proved extremely divisive among fans, and Scott had to mostly abandon his plans to tell the origin story of the Xenomorphs afterAlien: Covenant. He hasn’t returned to his classic sci-fi franchise since, butAlienhasn’t forgotten aboutPrometheus.
The newesttrailer forAlien: Earthhad a line that teased “five different lifeforms” crash landing on Earth and wreaking havoc. We’ve already gotten a glimpse at some ofAlien: Earth’s new species, such as an octopus-like alien that seems to gouge out its victims' eyes and control their brains through the sockets. It already looks likeAlien: Earthis going to be a big change for theAlienfranchise, but it could also have a secret connection toPrometheus. In fact,Alien: Earthcould finally fulfill a dream Ridley Scott never got to fully realize withPrometheus.
Ridley Scott Wanted To Branch Out From The Xenomorphs In Prometheus, & Alien: Earth Is Finally Doing It
Ridley Scott Wanted To Focus More On Engineers Than Xenomorphs In Prometheus & Alien: Earth Is Introducing New Species
Prometheuswas one of the most divisiveAlienmovies ever made when it came out.A big reason forPrometheus' divisiveness was Ridley Scott’s goal of expandingAliento focus on more species than just Xenomorphs. There isn’t actually a proper Xenomorph inPrometheusuntil its ending scene, which featured the Deacon for a matter of seconds. The rest of the film is dedicated to other alien species, like the Hammerpede, the Trilobyte, and the Engineers. ManyAlienfans went intoPrometheusexpecting more of the Xenomorphs, which are the main attraction of the entire franchise, and they were disappointed by the Engineers.
ThoughPrometheuswas the origin story of the Xenomorphs, it’s clear that Ridley Scott wanted to expandAlienbeyond the Xenomorphs. Unfortunately,Prometheuswas so divisive that he had to return to the classic Xenomorph formula inAlien: Covenant, and then his prequel trilogy was never finished. Now, however,Alien: Earthis finally bringing new alien species to theAlienfranchise, 13 years afterPrometheusfailed to.Earth’s promise of “five different lifeforms” hints that the show will make alternatives to the Xenomorph that are viable and popular parts of the franchise and effectively expand theAlienuniverse.
Alien: Earth’s New Species Have One Major Advantage Over Prometheus’ Engineers
Alien: Earth Is Introducing New Species While Also Featuring Classic Xenomorphs
Introducing new species inAlien: Earthinherently runs the risk of repeatingPrometheus' mistakes, however. The Engineers and other lifeforms inPrometheuswere a big factor in its divisiveness, after all, and there’s still a shot thatEarthcould be similarly controversial.Alien: Earth, however, has one distinct advantage overPrometheus: its new species will be introduced alongside the classic Xenomorph. Viewers who want to see the Xenomorph inAlien: Earthare still going to get plenty of action from them, but there’s going to be more added on top.
One of the biggest problems with the Engineers inPrometheusis that no one was really expecting them.Prometheuswas anAlienmovie that didn’t feature the actual aliens the franchise is named after, the Xenomorphs, for more than a few seconds. It probably would have been better received if the Engineers were introduced alongside classic Xenomorphs.Alien: Earthisn’t repeating that mistake, and the decision to introduce new species alongside the return of the Xenomorphs should make the new aliens more palatable to audiences.Earthdoesn’t have to rely on one of its new species alone to entertain viewers likePrometheushad to rely on the Engineers.
Alien: Earth May Even Give Ridley Scott A Chance To Revisit The Engineers
If Alien: Earth’s New Species Are Well Received, Audiences May Be More Open To Scott Continuing The Engineers' Story
Alien: Earthis fulfilling Ridley Scott’s dream that he started withPrometheus, but it could also give him another chance to see it through himself.IfAlien: Earthand its new hostile aliens turn out to be a hit, then audiences may be more open to the idea of returning to the story of David (Michael Fassbender) and the Engineers. The idea of anAlienproject focusing on something other than Xenomorphs at least wouldn’t be as controversial anymore. Scott may even get a chance to finish out his prequel trilogy over a decade after it started.
If it’s a success, Alien: Earth may be enough to entice Ridley Scott to finish out his prequel trilogy.
Ridley Scott could even tie a follow-up toAlien: CovenantintoAlien: Earth. This is all speculation, of course, but maybePrometheus' black goo, the substance the Engineers used to create life, could explain whereEarth’s new species came from.If Scott gets another shot at the franchise, he could tie everything fromPrometheustoAlien: Earthtogether in one fell swoop and make theAlienfranchise more cohesive than it has ever been before.Alien: Romulusalready revisited the black goo, andEarthmay be exactly what we need to finish out Ridley Scott’s vision.
Release Date (Tuesdays @ 8 p.m. ET)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
September 23
Unfortunately, there are also some roadblocks to that happening.Ridley Scott recently said he’s done withAlienas a franchise, and he has no interest in creating more films. However, there was also an announcement in November thatScott would develop a newAlienmoviefollowing the success ofRomulus.It’s not really clear where Ridley Scott stands with regard toAlien, butEarthmay be able to change things. If it’s a success,Alien: Earthmay be enough to entice Ridley Scott to finish out his prequel trilogy.
Prometheus
Cast
Prometheus, released in 2012, is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a team of explorers as they uncover clues about humanity’s origins, embarking on a perilous interstellar expedition where they confront formidable challenges to secure the future of mankind.
