This just occured to me: ALIEN & Outland...did they live in the same world?

[Funky]

Two of my favorite movies that I've seen over a hundred times each and it just occured to me, is it possible they could have lived in the same "universe"? Think about it. The ships and space suits are very similar. The style of clothes are almost exact. The interior walls, mechanics and decor are perfect matches. Even the industry of both movies, mining. Granted, both movies, in OUR world anyway, are completely unrelated, but it sems pretty obvious that ALIEN was a heavy influence in the design ouf Outland.
So, thoughts? In "movie universe" could both flicks have happened at the same time, side by side? Could 'the company' in Outland have been Weyland Yutani?

 

[Bryancd]

I always got the impression, for whatever reason, that Outland would have been a more contemporary story then ALIEN.

 

[Gatekeeper]

I've thought about this too... yes, the movies are visually very similar. IIRC, it's never mentioned in Outland what year it's supposed to be (distant future) but I don't see why the setting couldn't be, say, early 22nd century?
As for the W-Y connection - neither Nostromo nor the mining plant on Io seem to be healthy places to work in, so why not?

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Note to self: must go see Outland!

 

[Megamicrofish]

BLACK HOLE REVIEWS: OUTLAND (1981) - almost in the ALIEN universe
Outland = same universe as Alien?

 

[Mola Rob]

I thought the same thing myself, the design aesthetic is so similar and even the tone of the two movies are similar. I guess it really doesn't matter so if we want to join the two universes together it makes a good match.

I picked up Outland on Blu-ray a couple months ago and it looks fantastic, best I've ever seen it look. My super grainy Outland DVD went straight into the garbage.

 

[Wes R]

There are a lot of movies that could tie into the Alien universe, especially if Ridley Scott is involved in them. Kind of makes you wonder if the folks making them wanted them to unofficially be in those universes.

 

[ghostryder]

I may be wrong, but I think the Salvage Team at the beginning of Aliens wore some Outland props...

 

[Bryancd]

There are a lot of movies that could tie into the Alien universe, especially if Ridley Scott is involved in them. Kind of makes you wonder if the folks making them wanted them to unofficially be in those universes.

People often wonder if Blade Runner could be an ALIEN prequel, but I find BR so dystopian and different from the ALIEN universe.

 

[Wes R]

People often wonder if Blade Runner could be an ALIEN prequel, but I find BR so dystopian and different from the ALIEN universe.

I agree though i think it's just Ridley's vision of a dark future in 2 different universes.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

People often wonder if Blade Runner could be an ALIEN prequel, but I find BR so dystopian and different from the ALIEN universe.

There's a lot of material on the Prometheus BR that confirms thar Blade Runner & Alien are in the same universe. Weiland discusses how both he & Tyrell had infatuations about immortality, but where Weiland went with the android route to explore our limitations, Tyrell went with the replicants.


Plus , don't forget that Firefly had a anti-aircraft gun used during the Battle of Serenity Valley that had a Weiland-Yutani targeting system.

 

[ghostryder]

Re: This just occured to me: ALIEN & Outland...did they live in the same world?

Here's what my friend Charlie who works with Ridley and produced the Prometheus and Blade Runner box sets had to say:

Prometheus Blu-Ray Producer Dismisses Possible Blade Runner Connection | Giant Freakin Robot

Prometheus DVD producer responds to Blade Runner crossover rumors | Blastr

Blade Runner/Alien | Strange Shapes

The Prometheus/Blade Runner Shared Universe Theory Has Been Debunked | The Mary Sue

 

[robn1]

The "company" in Outland is Con-Amalgamated. The costume and set designs, and the effects were from some of the same people so they looked similar. I don't know how conscious Peter Hyams was of the similarities.

 

[Bryancd]

There's a lot of material on the Prometheus BR that confirms thar Blade Runner & Alien are in the same universe.

Yeah, I have that but I think this is just RS way of being cute.

 

[Lord Boron]

Martin Bower did model work on both films, so there would be a similar look in that regard.

 

[Malphas]

Just wanted to say thanks for introducing me to this movie. Never heard of it before but after seeing this thread I went into it pretending it's the same universe and I am completely happy that way.

 

[Laspector]

I may be remembering this wrong, but I seem to remember an article in Starlog waaaaay back when Outland was still being made stating that it may/could/might be unofficially in the Alien universe.

 

[The Mad Professor]

There are a lot of movies that could tie into the Alien universe

...and TV shows. Firefly is a good example, given that the Weyland-Yutani logo is visible on the HUD on the UA 57-D Ground Sentry Mal used to bring down the skiff in the pilot episode.

 

[taimdala]

I loved Outland when it came out. 33 years later, it still looks good. It influenced me a whole lot in what to expect of the future--the people, the design aesthetic, the works. Alien was another influencer, Terminator was another. I wonder if it was something about the 1980s that determined that grungy style?

I could go on like this for hours, but for now I'm just trying to figure out what font was used in the title credits. It's not quite like anything I've got on hand. Anyone know what it is?

 

[taimdala]

Watching the opening credits sequence just now ... I noticed some similarities between it and Alien.
1. The spooky sound-effect/drone sound as the title slowly lights up
2. The letters seen in silhouette and backlit ... and then get fully lit from behind and eclipsed by light
3. I think the composer for the score was the same, too.

Or am I just imagining all this?