Engineering Alien: Covenant

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Alien: Covenant, the next installment to the Prometheus saga, is just over a year away, so lets take a look at what we know so far.

A decent amount of Alien: Covenant news seems to be leaking out recently. Covenant, the follow-up  to 2012’s Prometheus, will be ramping up marketing soon, so I’ve been finding myself wondering what we will be seeing when it hits theaters next year.

Official Synopsis

As of right now, the official synopsis is as follows:

“Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created in Alien with Alien: Covenant, the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began with Prometheus – and connects directly to Scott’s 1979 seminal work of science fiction. Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world – whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition”.

Questions Remain

Sounds intriguing, but equally interesting, are some things it leaves out. Despite some negative reviews, I loved Prometheus. It was a branch-off from the main “Aliens” films, and explored a mysterious aspect of that universe, the Engineers. First referred to as “Space Jockeys,” one was briefly seen in the original 1978 Alien, albeit in the form of a long dead corpse. Who were these beings? What were they doing with the Xenomorph eggs in tow? How did this ship wind up derelict on the barren world LV-426?

These were the questions that were on my mind for years. Prometheus set out to give some answers, or at least start to. Soon after the release, it was announced that not only would there be a sequel, but that this was to be a series of films that would eventually tie to the original film.

Unlike the main Alien franchise, these films were to be more science fiction than horror. According to director Ridley Scott, they stray from being direct prequels. At least that was the original plan. Since then, the movie and its plot have gone through an evolution, and I’m a little unsure as to what we are going to get.

Director Ridley Scott on set, as Michael Fassbender’s David looks on.

Paradise Lost?

When the first title was introduced, the movie was originally Alien: Paradise Lost. It seemed to contradict some comments that were previously made by the director. Again, these movies were to focus on the Engineers and how they tie into the creation of the Xenomorphs. But more interesting to me is how they factor into the potential creation of humanity. A terrifying proposition; mankind sets out to answer one of its biggest questions, only to discover a creator that is less than benevolent with reasons less than poetic.

Scott also confirmed back in September that Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and the android David (Michael Fassbender) would be exploring the Engineer’s home world. At the end of Prometheus, Shaw want to go where they came from. It seemed to set up where we would be going in the sequel. However, noticeably absent in the synopsis is any mention of Shaw. In fact, it specifically states that David is the sole inhabitant of this planet!

Up until very recently, Noomi Rapace was rumored to not even be returning, which shed further doubt as to the direction of the movie. However, they have since announced that she would be back on set in some capacity. Combined with adding Alien into the movie title, it seemed that in order to boost interest in the project, they may be retreading and shifting the focus back to the iconic Xenomorph slightly.

Alien 5

To add to confusion, there is another Alien film in some form of development.

Alien 5 will be helmed by Neill Blomkamp, who was the director of District 9 and Chappie. The script will bring back Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the flame throwing protagonist of the series. It will also resurrect Michael Biehn’s character Hicks, as well. This will be a sequel, so not in the same territory as Alien: Covenant, which in my opinion is further reason to keep them separate.

Alien: Covenant Thus Far

So, with that being said, what is known so far about Covenant?

With Noomi Rapace back in the picture, we’ll hopefully learn what transpired in the search for the Engineer home world.  Call sheets have given the appearance that she may not have as large a role in the sequel, which could mean that her scenes are part of a flashback. That would make sense, as the crew of the Covenant arrives on a world with David on his own.

Some set photos have surfaced showing a scene of potentially apocalyptic proportions. Beings, potentially Engineers, seem frozen or turned to stone in an apparent struggle or major event. In the background, hieroglyphs adorn the stone walls, and these match what we saw in Prometheus, aboard the Engineer’s ship. A large, damaged stone head resembling the one seen in the previous film is also pictured. It seems like the Engineers will be present after all.

In casting news, Danny McBride is slated as the captain of the Covenant.  Covenant is a colonization ship in search of new worlds. Danny is most known for playing comedic roles, but assured interviewers that there is absolutely NO comic relief. This movie will be dark. Another interesting rumor is that of the role that Katherine Waterston is set to play. Some sources have let slip that she may be playing the role of Ripley’s mother. Still too early to say for certain, but would also help tie in to the original Alien.

It’ll be interesting to see how they take the ideas from the first film and push them even further, while giving us a host of new questions to be answered later.

Alien:Covenant opens August 4th, 2017.