Ridley Scott Prometheus: NOT the Alien Prequel Details

[Carson Dyle]

Carson, did you ever read "Do Androids Dream of ELectric Sheep?".

Yeah.

I think it's safe for you to assume I've read just about everything that's ever been published in the English language about the making of ALIEN and Blade Runner. And I stand by my comments re: Scott's contribution to the legacy of those films.

In the case of ALIEN, Scott was handed a screenplay that was, with a few trims and revisions, ready to shoot (thanks to O'Bannon, Shusett, Hill & Giler). Granted Scott contributed vastly to the visual realization of the finished film, and I've no intension of belittling his efforts. Nevertheless, Scott did not author ALIEN, anymore than Spielberg authored Jaws, Hitchcock authored Psycho, or Kubrick authored The Shining.

Scott deserves all the praise in the world (IMO) for directing what many (myself included) consider to be a perfect film. But he didn't create the story out of nothing. The writers did that, over a period of years, and they deserve a helluva lot more credit than some around here seem willing to grant.

As for the assertion that P.K. Dick and Hampton Fancher somehow deserve less credit for Blade Runner than Ridley Scott, that's only true if one considers the story itself less important than the fashion in which its told.

But, you know, writer fails to get credit he/she deserves, what else is new.

"That's Hollywood."

 

[Carson Dyle]

BTW, with regard to Blade Runner, Ridley Scott's decision to toss out the thematic core of Dick's novel does little to help the final film from a narrative standpoint. In addition, his decision to make Deckard a replicant is a cheap gimmick that serves only to render the story thematically meaningless.

Point being that as a visual stylist Scott is second to none, but as a narrative craftsman he's frequently his own worst enemy.

 

[Contec]

I hope Ridley Scott will make a sequel to "Legend"

 

[nickytea]

In addition, his decision to make Deckard a replicant is a cheap gimmick that serves only to render the story thematically meaningless.

Also, being an eleventh hour decision renders the inclusion a totally non-committal presence in the ensuing cuts. Feels incongruous.

I feel the pangs of flagrant self-promotion.

 

[ghostryder]

Prometheus Set & Location Pictures

Weyland-Yutani logo:

 

[BuGz]

Looking good! The Wayland logo is a nice touch!

Bri

 

[CutThumb]

Well those pics seem to have disappeared again rather quickly! FOX reacts at break neck speed again! I just wish they would get the trailer shown as quickly now we know its out there, though rumour has it that, totally unsurprisingly, there are no great reveals in it ie Aliens leaping out the screen. Apparently its due out with "The Thing Prequel" ????
However, there have been definite "comfirmations" that some of the early storylines we've heard may not have been "untrue".
In an interview about her character Elizabeth Shaw, Noomi Rapace says she plays a researcher and archaeologist brought up in Africa, with a strong views on God and creation, who becomes an action hero towards the end of the film. Hmmmm. Sounds very familar. And all the other elements of an "Alien" universe are there, from the company logo, the space jockey, androids, bone yard sets etc.
Tie this in with the discovery of alien artifacts in West Africa, the as "new" appearance of the "first fast than light" spaceship(s) (as opposed to a "beatten up Nostromo" in the pictures), the "giant human head" on a space jockey platform and its sounds very like the human race "IS" part of an experiment by a biotechnologist space race that seed planets with intelligence of which humanity is one.
The question is do the humans get "experimented" on again, via "mutations" that can change human physiology into other forms, and does that make the Alien(s) a method of wiping out a potentially lethal form of a failed experimental genetic species that manages to attain interstellar spaceflight and may then become a threat to its creators.

 

[GOING SOLO]

Wha the hell was the spacejockey anyway???? Its was so creepy and strange looking! Love that part!

 

[CutThumb]

Ridely has revealed some more about the story and Alien Prequel News reports the following ;

The Wall Street Journal recently spoke to Ridley Scott about his handful of current science fiction projects, including the 'Blade Runner' sequel, television series 'Prophets of Science Fiction', and of course 'Prometheus'.

In this interview Scott dished out a few tiny details about Prometheus in his usual secretive way.

Most importantly for 'Alien' fans, Sir Ridley tries to explain the connection between Alien and Prometheus, once again without too much detail:



"The last eight minutes of the “Prometheus” story evolve into a pretty good DNA of the ‘Alien’ one."
Regarding the Prometheus story line, The Wall Street Journal writes:


"The central metaphor of “Prometheus” is about a “higher being” who challenges the gods, and the gods don’t want to give him fire. “Fire is our first form of technology,” Scott says, and so by taking fire, the higher being is punished “in perpetuity in a horrible fashion.” Much like the story of the mythological god, Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and for his actions was bound to a rock with an eagle eternally devouring his liver."
It's been nearly 30 years since Ridley Scott gave us Blade Runner, and seeing as he's very passionate about science fiction it's fair to ask why it's taken so long for him to return to the genre:

"I think the reason why I haven’t attempted science fiction in a number of years is because I haven’t really come across a script that I really liked. This developed and came out extremely well."

That pretty much confirms alot of our theories, including the "Dual" title.
Also of interest is the fact two actors have been hired to "play" Engineers, an Elder and a younger version.
So I guess we will see the Space Jockey in its living forms and it will directly link to the original Alien as hoped. Which is nice.

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

But I don't want the jockey smeared in Greek myth references. Might be a cool script but I wish they'd come up with some new creatures to do it with instead...

 

[CutThumb]

Good news. Looks like the trailer is due out very soon, possibly as soon as December. Go to the usual Prometheus sites to get an update before they disappear.
Bad news. It really, really ,really does look like that original plot summary was actually quite accurate. Creation myths, Chariots of the Gods, human beings verses the Engineers that created them. I'm not saying this will make it a bad film, I still believe it will be one of Ridleys best, but the link with the Engineers to Humanities origins doesn't work well for me.
This is starting to feel like a sci fi horror version of 2001.

 

[cayman shen]

So they take a great monster movie and turn it into some portentious, pretentious gobbledegook with the sequel? Is Riddick in this movie?

 

[Jedi2016]

Is Riddick in this movie?

ZOMG!! The Aliens come from the Underverse?!?!?!?

 

[ghostryder]

There's already beautiful fan art for Ridley Scott's Prometheus

 

[ghostryder]

Alien Prequel News: Entertainment Weekly reveals the giant head from Prometheus

 

[CutThumb]

Looks like they reused some of the "Enterprise" series costumes and ship sets. That really doesn't feel like the "Alien" universe. Not very impressive at all.
However, the "Head Chamber" (ampule room) does look like it belongs. In the bottom righthand corner I see what looks like a very familar object.

 

[Yarko]

I still think this is going to be awesome.... but those costumes doesn't feel right for the alien universe. They're more like a Mass Effect design. I know it's the future, but I wouldn't dare to explore an Alien planet/facility/whatever on a tight jumpsuit.

And the head... to me, it seems out of place next to Giger's walls, it seems to have a different style. Besides, a human head in a space-jockey ship? They didn't look very human the last time we saw their skeleton. I hope the plot justifies everything and it's not just random pseudo-creepy stuff.

 

[cayman shen]

ZOMG!! The Aliens come from the Underverse?!?!?!?

:lol You know what I mean though? Pitch Black was this lean, mean suspense movie about a monster stalking desperate survivors. Just pure and straightforward, like (the obviously superior) Alien. Then in Riddick, the guy becomes the savior of the universe, and through I like the movie, it's pretty bloated and silly. Its desire to be deep and "epic" and have pretensions of grandeur turn the series into something else entirely. Looks like Prometheus is going the same route, and when a series gets too big for its britches (Mad Max saves the children :rolleyes) it's usually not a good sign, imo.

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

It's not just the costumes that look underwhelming. So do the people inside them. Two young, handsome hunks we have here. No young, handsome hunks in 'Alien', and it was, of course, the stronger for it...

 

[CessnaDriver]

It's not just the costumes that look underwhelming. So do the people inside them. Two young, handsome hunks we have here. No young, handsome hunks in 'Alien', and it was, of course, the stronger for it...

Yeah, I thought that too.
Most people in life do not look like models.
One of the things we love about ALIEN is here are some people that come off real and you grieved their loss.
Imagine ALIEN with all good looking young models in the roles, would we care as much what happens to them?