Ridley Scott’s Alien, take notes — Christopher Nolan and Batman already cracked the code

Right then, Ridley Scott is apparently still not done tinkering with Alien and wants another swing at a prequel. If you thought after Alien: Covenant, he'd finally let the xenomorphs rest—well, here we are again. This time, his own words suggest the story will stick with David, the android, and dive even deeper into the whole 'AI with a God complex' rabbit hole.

Scott told the LA Times about David's future: 'AIs can go off. And if they do, it's like a bomb.'

Bit dramatic, but that's on-brand for Scott's flavour of existential angst. For those not keeping track, Scott first cracked open the chest cavity of science fiction cinema with 1979's Alien, then parachuted back in for Prometheus in 2012—an origin story that left plenty of us more confused than enlightened. He kept going with Alien: Covenant in 2017, which chased chairs round the box office for a bit before largely fizzling out.

Alien: Romulus Shakes Things Up

Instead of another Scott-directed film, the universe recently handed the keys to someone else. Alien: Romulus (2024), from Fede Álvarez, didn’t just do alright—it bagged $350 million worldwide and went down rather nicely with both punters and critics. That’s with Scott staying producer-side, not directing.

Alien: Romulus pulled in $350 million at the global box office.

Given those figures, you’d think continuing that run would be a priority. Word was a sequel was on the table, but fresh twist: Álvarez stepped away, so there’s now a question mark over that future. Meanwhile, instead of chasing that momentum, the studio seems more keen to let Scott put another prequel together. Why? Who knows. It’s not as if Scott’s more recent outings are lighting fires—the less said about The Dog Stars, the better.

The Batman Comparison

I get the urge to keep a legendary director involved. Scott's original Alien is untouchable, and even his return with Prometheus gave the whole franchise a much-needed kickstart after the mess of the early 2000s (for the record: Alien vs. Predator never happened, as far as I'm concerned). His recent movies, though, are not exactly raking in the numbers. If there’s a lesson to learn, you’d think it's from Christopher Nolan, who took Batman from the ashes with Batman Begins, had a proper run with three cracking films, and then—crucially—knew when to hang up the cowl before things got embarrassing.

Contrast that with the Alien approach: every time the series threatens to find its feet, it risks tripping itself up by clinging too hard to the old guard. The Alien: Romulus experiment proved you can get something fresh, commercially successful, and still keep Scott involved—just not as the one calling the shots on the floor.