There is a lot of both suspicion and excitement around Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien movie, Alien: Covenant. Most recently we shared some news of what the possible Xenomorph threat is likely to look like in the new movie. With the sixth film in the franchise due to tie up the first prequel – the less than stellar Prometheus – with more of the world we know in Alien, there is a lot riding on this film. Though, understandably, the director and studio are keeping their cards close to their chests with regards to details on what we can actually expect in the film.
However, we have some news today that provide us with a little bit more insight about the film’s plot. Especially in what we can expect from Michael Fassbender’s android character as well as one other surprise addition. So I guess it goes without saying that there may be spoilers below. Please read on at your own peril past the the really cool poster below.
The first bit of news comes from AVP Galaxy, who speaks about how one of the more controversial characters from Prometheus will be back in this film, though only through a flashback sequence:
We have learnt that Guy Pearce will be reprising his role as a slightly younger Peter Weyland during the film’s opening scenes. The current edit of Alien: Covenant begins with [Michael Fassbender’s] David 8 being brought online in a large white room with a grand view overlooking an ocean.
A younger, but still somewhat aged, Weyland asks David various questions to test him. We eventually move to David performing Richard Wagner’s “Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla”, explaining the meaning of the piece as he plays.
Pearce’s work in the Prometheus film was definitely one of the more unusual performances in a film filled with weird characters, considering he was permanently covered in make-up to look old. The decision to not just hire an older actor was a puzzling one, but it now makes it plausible for him to return as a younger version of the character without needing any make-up at all this time round.
However, if you’re wondering why a flashback sequence with Peter Weyland and David 8 should be in the new Alien movie in the first place, we can look no further than a recent interview with Fassbender to the Irish Times, who revealed he is actually playing two roles in the film:
I am allowed to say I am playing two robots – Walter and David. I think what’s great about it is that Ridley has gone back to the original DNA of Alien, the horror element of that. But is also has the scope and the scale of Prometheus. Ridley has cut it already. He is a machine. He is an incredible human being and he was in such good form. He is such an imaginative and mischievous figure.
AVP Galaxy went on to further elaborate on these comments:
[We] can also tell you that Walter is not a fan of David. Walter is a more advanced and up-to-date version of the David model. He is distrustful of David 8 because the older model has gone without any form of maintenance or upgrades during the ten year interval he has been in isolation between the Prometheus incident and the Covenant crew making landfall on the supposed paradise planet that Alien: Covenant takes place on.
So robot rivalry is the order of the day here. It will be interesting to see if Fassbender will be playing both robots in a contrasting style or not. My guess is that both robots will be similar in style, with David 8 likely just a few screws loose of a fully functioning droid and Walter more knowledgeable and advanced in his communication.
Alien: Covenant is set to release on August 4, 2017.
Last Updated: November 2, 2016
