Ridley Scott Details Collaboration Process With Alien: Romulus Director Fede Alvarez

Ridley Scott reveals how he collaborated with Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez during the making of the film. After the mixed reception to Alien: Covenant in 2017, the hit sci-fi horror franchise, which Scott began back in 1979, is now set to go in a new direction. Alvarez’s upcoming Alien: Romulus takes place between Alien and 1986’s Aliens, following Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and her young crew as they encounter a Xenomorph on their derelict space station. While Scott isn’t directing the film, he remains on board as a producer.

During a recent interview with LA Times, both Scott and Alvarez discuss the nature of their collaboration on Alien: Romulus, with the latter revealing that Scott was ultimately key to his vision of the film getting the green light. Both directors paint a picture of a very amicable and productive collaboration experience, and Scott even touches on his hopes for the future of the franchise. Check out Scott and Alvarez’s comments below:

Alvarez: “Ridley had to sign off on it. He had to agree that the idea was the right idea, and the path was the right path. Everything starts with Ridley.

“Ridley was always the person I went to in order to show him where things are and to debate with him and to have his blessing and also his criticism and pushback on some things. It was a creative collaboration where we met in the middle.”

Scott: “The danger of all franchises is they do die unless somebody suddenly decides to pick up the mat and run down the field with a ball. Fede is a surge of energy, and I had to step back and let him do it.

“Fede had a blueprint firm in his mind, and his script was pretty clear. It was also long, but the screenplay is always long. And so we got into that a little bit.

“It is hard work with anybody and their mother giving you advice — the last thing you want at a certain point is advice. I do not need advice. If I fall on my own sword and therefore lie bleeding, I say, ‘It was my fault.’

“Films are nearly always too long, and most directors never believe that a film can be too long. I hope Fede’s got another one up his sleeve because
I think this is going to do really well
. He’s got a streak of brilliance.”

The Alien Franchise Needed Some New Blood

Why Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus Is So Exciting

Alien and its sequel are still widely considered the best installments in the decades-spanning franchise. David Fincher’s third film has some elements that work, but Jean-Pierrce Jeunet’s Alien: Resurrection is mostly considered a miss. The franchise lay dormant for 15 years before Scott returned to the director’s chair to bring audiences Prometheus in 2012 and Alien: Covenant in 2017. While the former was a hit, the response to the latter was less enthusiastic.

Alien: Covenant‘s lackluster response essentially killed plans for a third film in Scott’s prequel trilogy, with the reins instead passing to Alvarez for a totally new take. Alvarez remains best known for movies like 2013’s Evil Dead reboot and 2016’s Don’t Breathe, both of which announced him as a filmmaker with unique horror sensibilities. After Scott’s latest Alien movies failed to recapture the magic of the original, Alvarez presenting a new vision for the franchise in his own style is probably the best path forward.

Alien: Romulus comes not only at the perfect time for Alvarez and the franchise at large, but also for Spaeny. She’s been very much an actor on the rise in recent years, and the upcoming movie looks set to make her a Ripley-like action hero, which is a great way to go back to the franchise’s roots while also pushing things forward. It remains to be seen how audiences will receive Alien: Romulus, but Scott’s comments certainly suggest Alvarez’s entry in the franchise could be a hit.

Source: LA Times

Alien: Romulus

Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.

Director

Fede Alvarez

Release Date

August 16, 2024

Studio(s)

Scott Free Productions , 20th Century

Distributor(s)

20th Century

Writers

Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett

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