Alien: Covenant sequel already written and could start filming next year

We have yet to see the next movie in the Alien franchise, Alien: Covenant, but already from the trailer that has been revealed, it is looking like a return to form for the series after a host of middling sequels and of course, that other movie called Prometheus.

It would appear it is not just fans of Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi series that are excited for the direction the film is taking, as the film makers themselves are also keen for more. Scott revealed in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that the sequel to Alien: Covenant has already been written and may enter development as early as next year. And after a 5 year gap between Prometheus and this latest Alien film, Scott believes that this movie is set for success and wants to strike while the excitement around the film is at a high:

You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you’d better be ready. You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year.

This is of course assuming the film is going to be a success. All indications are that it certainly will be a winner for studio 20th Century Fox. You have to assume that the filmmaker has learnt from the mistakes made in Prometheus and will ensure that this film is a whole lot better. And smarter. And if it does turn out good and audiences respond to it, Scott will keep giving them what they want as the filmmaker revealed that he has enough ideas to develop a total of six new films. That’s a lot of Xenomorph action.

As for the first of these sequels, Scott gave no indication on who wrote the screenplay, though Screen Rant is speculating that Gladiator scribe John Logan is the man behind the new film. Logan reportedly came in to work on the Alien: Covenant script after its earlier draft from Michael Green (Logan) and Jake Paglen (Transcendence) and it makes sense that if the writer could’ve continued on to build on that script with an idea for the sequel. Scott is likely to hide all these details until after the release of the movie Alien: Covenant.

Another detail Scott will obviously hide is any casting decisions for the sequel as well. Considering that you expect most characters to die in an Alien movie, announcing any form of casting now could prove to be a major spoiler so even if certain individuals are already signed up for a sequel, we will only get confirmation a fair amount of time after Alien: Covenant has been released.

If Covenant does turn out to be the Alien film everyone is hoping for, then I am certainly excited to get more of it. It does beg to ask the question though on what will happen with Neil Blomkamp’s planned Alien movie if Scott decides to make a few more. Expect that movie to possibly pushed back a while if this is the case.

Last Updated: March 7, 2017