Disney’s Alien installment can tie into Ridley Scott’s prequel movies in a simple way, which would bring the Alien film franchise full circle once and for all. Despite having different directors, the original Alien films were sequential and fluid until Scott directed a pair of prequel movies that complicated the franchise’s broader story arc. Scott’s original Alien movie, James Cameron’s Aliens, David Fincher’s Alien 3, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien Resurrection all aimed to document Ellen Ripley’s enduring battle with the extraterrestrial species known as the Xenomorph, but the franchise’s course was reformed and expanded once Scott abandoned Ripley’s narrative to explore the titular species’ origin in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
Although revamping the Alien franchise could have been an ingenious idea had it been done differently, Scott’s prequel duology failed to capture the essence of the original film series and muddied the Alien canon. The consequences of Scott’s prequels were further complicated by a canceled Covenant sequel, which left the prequel series unfinished and disjointed among the other films within the franchise. The dissonance between Alien’s original film series and the prequel duology can be remedied, however, as the new Alien movie could be useful in synthesizing the franchise as a whole.
Disney’s New Alien Movie Is Not Tied To Prometheus & Covenant
The details of Disney’s upcoming Alien movie are limited, but they have come to reveal the film’s relation to the rest of the movies in the franchise. The new installment, dubbed Alien: Romulus, is guided by Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez and extends a synopsis following “a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.” While Álvarez’s affiliation with the supernatural horror genre and the installment’s familiar synopsis indicate the movie will be both thrilling and a callback to the original series, Alien: Romulus will not be tied to any of the Alien movies.
Instead, Alien: Romulus is touted as a standalone movie that will take place in Alien’s timeline at some point between the first and second Alien films. The news of the upcoming installment existing as a standalone can seem jarring given the nature of Alien’s disunited franchise, but Alien: Romulus is actually in the perfect position to simultaneously expand the franchise like Scott intended and unify the prequel films with the movies of the original series. Because it is not tied to its predecessors, Alien: Romulus has the unique opportunity to reference the other films within the Alien franchise without feeling obligated to address them directly.
How Alien: Romulus Can Still Reference Prometheus & Covenant
Given that the opportunity to reprise Ripley’s narrative has long passed and that the feat of continuing Scott’s prequels would be colossal, the decision to continue the franchise from a fresh perspective is a clever one. Alien: Romulus’ placement in the franchise’s timeline is even more cunning, for situating itself between Alien and Aliens means that it’s far enough removed from the prequel series’ chronology and can avoid any mention of Ripley, who is stuck in hypersleep during this window of time. Although it doesn’t necessarily have to as a standalone, Alien: Romulus can still reference its predecessors in simple but inventive ways that benefit the franchise as a whole.
Alien: Romulus already appears to reference the original Alien series, as its synopsis is more indicative of Ripley and her crew’s storyline than it is of the prequel series’ premise. If Alien: Romulus alludes to the prequel series in any manner, then it could help bridge the gap between the first four Alien movies and their prequels. The reference to the prequels wouldn’t have to be complicated either, for a simple mention of the origin of the Xenomorph species or anything that ties into the lore of Prometheus and Covenant’s David (played by Michael Fassbender) would suffice.
What Disney’s New Alien Movie Must Do To Fix The Franchise
Fede Álvarez will direct the next installment of the Alien franchise, and there are a number of steps Disney needs to take to re-ignite the franchise.
Alien 7 Addressing Prometheus & Covenant Would Bring The Franchise Full Circle
By simply referencing the original series and the prequel duology, Alien: Romulus will make the franchise feel like it is a part of one solid canon instead of a collection of separate entities. In fact, by sticking to simple references instead of delving into canon specifics, Alien: Romulus not only allows itself the chance to develop into its own continuity but opens up the opportunity for Scott’s return to the prequel series. Inevitably, Alien: Romulus will be an important touchstone for the entire Alien franchise, as it will be an indicator of what will become of the franchise’s past history as well as its future ahead.
