The biggest news of this week so far (as of 24th September) is by far discovering that Ridley Scott’s Prometheus 2 will actually be called Alien: Paradise Lost. Confusing, I know, but check out our news article for a little more clarity, for this one is just my interpretation of the situation.
The biggest question people have is about how these films are going to coincide. It’s not clear if one will be delayed or cancelled to accommodate another, but I’ve certainly got my theory of how this is going to work, and here it is.
Much like the newly-announced set of Star Wars films, I think this is going to work by having two canons running alongside each other. In that case, J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens will continue the plot from the first two trilogies, whereas Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will begin a series of films that although don’t directly impact on the main events, provide some delicious bites of context.
I’m pretty sure that tonight’s news is going to work in a similar way. Both Alien 5 and Paradise Lost are scheduled for 2017, and it’d be foolish to release 2 main-story Alien films within a year: look how that went for The Matrix. For this reason, I’m convinced that one will be the equivalent to The Force Awakens, furthering the main story, and one will be the Rogue One, complementing the other and giving it context. Which film will do which role is anyone’s guess, but I reckon Paradise Lost will be the spin-off anthology film, due to its relation to the Prometheus series, meaning it has different characters, different plots and different worlds to explore. Alien 5, therefore, will be the plot-advancer, taking us further into the adventures of Ellen Ripley, which I think mainly because it’s already in pre-production and Sigourney Weaver is definitely coming back.
Whether or not I’m right, I am incredibly excited for these films. Alien is one of my favourite films of all-time, and any opportunity to see more of this fascinating universe excites me indescribably. I guess you could say that Alien is my Star Wars, so having the opportunity to catch an Alien film on the big screen leaves me frothing at the mouth.
What’s your take on this situation? Do you agree with my theory or do you have another interpretation? Be sure to let me know in the comments and don’t forget to follow the blog for all the film news and reviews.
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