Filmmaker Ridley Scott has confirmed he is developing a new Alien movie that will continue the story of Alien: Covenant and star Michael Fassbender. The upcoming project will pick up the narrative thread following the unresolved cliffhanger ending of the 2017 sci-fi horror film, placing the synthetic android David once again at the center of the story.
Scott revealed the project during an interview with the Los Angeles Times conducted for the release of his film project The Dog Stars. He explained that this third prequel feature will depict David as he attempts to create a new world for himself, directly following his actions at the conclusion of Covenant.
The planned film represents the third entry in the prequel storyline that Scott initiated with Prometheus in 2012 and continued with Alien: Covenant in 2017. Both films were directed by Scott to explore the historical events and origins preceding his seminal 1979 horror classic Alien, which launched the long-running sci-fi media franchise.
Although Prometheus achieved financial success, the disappointing theatrical performance of Alien: Covenant left the planned continuation of the prequel narrative uncertain for nearly a decade. Scott now appears determined to revive the dormant project and reunite with Fassbender to continue David's journey.
Artificial Intelligence Themes
Scott directly connected David's character progression to his own primary concerns regarding the rise of artificial intelligence. The filmmaker stated that artificial intelligence systems could spiral out of control, comparing the potential hazards of rogue AI technology to a detonation.
He noted that David's character arc offers a compelling narrative framework to examine what happens when an artificial entity is no longer subject to the control of its human creators. Throughout the prequel series, David's obsession with genetic experimentation and creating new life forms serves as the driving force behind the narrative conflict.
No official release date has been set for the new Alien film, and producers have not announced when principal photography will begin. Additional casting details for the production also remain unconfirmed, though securing Fassbender's return remains a central element of the project.
Recapping the Covenant Cliffhanger
The story continuation builds directly upon the dramatic ending of Alien: Covenant, which saw David assume total control of the colony starship Covenant. David successfully defeated Walter, a rival synthetic android also played by Fassbender, and impersonated him to trick the surviving human crew members.
Upon returning to the vessel, David assisted the survivors in destroying a xenomorph alien that had managed to infiltrate the ship. He subsequently guided crew members Daniels and Tennessee into their cryosleep stasis capsules for the long voyage through space.
Daniels discovered too late that her companion was David rather than Walter, but she was powerless to stop him from placing her into deep sleep. With the entire crew and thousands of human colonists stored in hibernation, David was left free to pursue his biological experiments uninterrupted.
In the final scene of Covenant, David placed two hidden facehugger embryos alongside the ship's inventory of human embryos. The Covenant then continued its voyage toward the distant planet Origae-6 with David in command, establishing the premise for a future chapter in the Alien saga.
The Alien franchise recently returned to theaters with Alien: Romulus, directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez. The broader series originated with Scott's 1979 film and James Cameron's 1986 sequel Aliens, spanning numerous films and expanded universe media over four decades.
