Summary

Ridley Scott is officially disengaging from the Alien franchise after feeling he has contributed enough.
Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 proposed major plot changes, including ignoring Alien 3 and Resurrection.
Blomkamp's directing talents were demonstrated in the sci-fi short film Rakka, featuring Sigourney Weaver.

After directing one of the most seminal science fiction franchises not involving lightsabers, Ridley Scott is officially disengaging from Alien's spacecraft. According to an interview with Screen Rant, Scott says he's done enough and believes his contributions to this point have been thorough. Since acting as the visionary behind the original Alien film's creation, he has rightfully acted as a gatekeeper of sorts for all further iterations of the franchise. One of the inspired projects that never got its chance to break through the ribcage of Hollywood was District 9 director Niell Blomkamp's take on Alien.

Neill Blomkamp's film would have seen Sigourney Weaver's Ripley return for a showdown against androids, which have played pivotal roles throughout the Alien films. It was canceled despite some pretty strong plot inspiration and concept art. Now that Scott is fully washing his hands of the series, Blomkamp could redeem his directorial career with a spirited showing of his original vision for a fresh take on the franchise.

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By Tom Chapman

Neill Blomkamp's Alien Film Looked Like It Could've Been Great

Neill Blomkamp's Alien should have endeared itself to fans right off the bat with one extreme, if not necessary, series change of course. His installment would have been the fifth film in the series' continuity, but according to previously reported story beats, it would have disregarded the events of both Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection.

Blomkamp released concept art for the film in 2015, which exhibited Sigourney Weaver in a variety of scenarios, along with a Hitman-esque bald android and Michael Biehn's Cpl. Hicks . Considering the illustrations' inclusion of Ripley and Cpl. Hicks, who was killed off at the start of Alien 3, Blomkamp's Alien suggested it would dump the third and fourth films' lackluster offerings into the timeline. Instead of propelling the established storyline, Blomkamp would have had his tale follow the events of Aliens, which is widely regarded as equal to, if not better than, the monumentally regarded original film.

One of the main plot points, according to Collider, would have been the reintroduction of Newt from Aliens, who would have grown up in Alien 5, and take up the mantle of Xenomorph hunter from an aging Ripley. Not only would it have been awesome to see a believably adept Newt slaying aliens, but it would have potentially reinvigorated the franchise, giving it new legs with a known, younger protagonist who carries direct ties to the franchise hero.

Another roadblock for Blomkamp's Alien 5 was Alien: Covenant, which was partly credited for the film's development delay. Additionally, there was the reported detail of a never-realized script for Blomkamp's film. Somewhat puzzlingly, Scott claimed there was never actually any screenplay submitted for consideration. Apparently, there was a 10-page idea at most, and nothing else to show for a project that had been officially greenlit by 20th Century Fox for at least two years prior to Alien: Covenant's release.

Neill Blomkamp Has Shown He Can Handle Alien Time And Again

By the time Blomkamp pitched his vision for Alien, he had released both District 9 and Elysium. While District 9 is celebrated for its unique approach to realistic human-alien social conflict, Elysium received less acclaim, though it was still a worthy sci-fi epic, clocking in at 64 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, the film that followed may have been both nail and coffin for the Newt and Ripley film that never was.

When he released Chappie to an awful reception following a tumultuous development cycle, Blomkamp figured it was probably over for his Alien canon hopes. He literally told The Guardian that Ridley Scott "probably watched Chappie and was like this guy can't do Alien." Yikes.

Blomkamp wouldn't take a rejection lying down, though, as he harbors a love for combining visceral alien oddity with the technological follies of humanity, a combination baked into the fabric of Alien. It would only be a matter of time before he demonstrated his aptitude for the franchise's lore. Blomkamp went as far as to commission Ellen Ripley herself, Sigourney Weaver, to star in a non-Xenomorph alien sci-fi short titled Rakka in 2021. The short film was produced by Blomkamp's independent film production company, Oats Studios.

Rakka is a gritty, gory, disgusting piece of filmmaking equipped with some top-tier performances, crisp camera shots, and fascinating character design - all Blomkamp qualities that would lend themselves gracefully to an Alien movie. While Rakka tells an independent story unrelated to Scott's Xenomorph franchise, its focus on alien lifeforms and the inclusion of Sigourney Weaver are subtle enough nods to what could have been had Blomkamp been given a proper shot.

The short film isn't critically rated on Rotten Tomatoes, but does boast a respectable 7.3/10 on IMDB. It's a wild romp and shot beautifully, leaving one to consider what Blomkamp would have done with Alien if only he'd submitted a screenplay and Alien: Covenant hadn't fizzled out the way it did. Fortunately, we have Noah Howley's Alien to look forward to, and it looks fantastic.

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