Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Alien’ Sequel On Hold Indefinitely
By Angie Han/Oct. 29, 2015 7:56 pm EST
Blomkamp confirmed the news on Twitter.
alien is kinda holding/ pending prometheus 2. So I shall be working on other things… as much as I love the xeno- and Lt ripley
— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) October 30, 2015
(Blomkamp’s Twitter account is unverified, oddly, but this is the same account that first announced his Alien plans in February.)
At the time, we noted that the new name undermined the notion that Blomkamp’s movie would be the “real” Alien sequel, while Scott’s would carry on the torch for the Prometheus spinoff. Scott’s new plan may have put him too close to Blomkamp’s, making the latter unnecessary. Blomkamp’s tweet does refer to his project as being in “holding,” so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’ll be back to work on it after Alien: Paradise Lost. But maybe don’t hold your breath.
With Scott’s Alien: Paradise Lost gearing up for an early 2016 shoot, it would’ve been 2017 at the earliest before cameras rolled on Blomkamp’s Alien sequel. And even then, things could’ve gotten complicated with Scott’s plans for further Prometheus sequels. Earlier, the idea was for Blomkamp to keep working on the Alien script while Scott finished up his movie, but clearly it’s been decided that even that’s not worth it anymore.
So with Blomkamp off Alien, where’s he headed next? He hasn’t said, but maybe now would be a good time to return to his long-promised District 10. District 9 was the movie that put him on the map, and so far he hasn’t had much luck outside that world; he’s coming off of two duds in a row (Elysium and Chappie). Whatever he does next, here’s hoping he stays far away from the script. Ideas, world-building, unique visuals — those are his strengths. Screenwriting, not so much.
Are you bummed Blomkamp’s Alien has been put on hold? What do you want to see him do next?
