Neill Blomkamp has specialized in original science fiction genre films thus far, but for his next project he's working within the confines of a well-established sandbox: the Alien franchise. It's not clear yet what Blomkamp's Alien 5 will be about, nor when it will take place in the Alien cinematic timeline. However, similar to 2015 series revivals Jurassic World and Terminator Genisys, Blomkamp's movie will come the closest to being a direct continuation of the last widely-acclaimed installment in its respective franchise (James Cameron's Aliens, in this case).

As such, Blomkamp's Alien 5 will bring back Sigourney Weaver as series' lead Ellen Ripley, and her Aliens costar Michael Biehn may well return as Dwayne Hicks too. The latest piece of concept art for the project unveiled by Blomkamp confirms that so much remains the plan now.

Blomkamp posted the newest piece of Alien 5 concept art to his Instagram account, with a note that the project is "going very well." The picture features both Ripley and Hicks (alongside some as yet identified people), facing a soldier(?) wearing futuristic armor, who appears to have the South Korean flag as a logo on their left shoulder.

Have a look at the image for yourself and see what you make of it:

#alien going very well. Love this project A photo posted by Brownsnout (@neillblomkamp) on

Previous Alien installments, as well as director Ridley Scott's Alien quasi-prequel/spinoff Prometheus, explored the actions and history behind the futuristic Weyland-Yutani Corporation (a British/Japanese multinational conglomerate). However, if that is indeed a South Korean logo on the above soldier's(?) uniform, then it could be this individual works for a different company - one that will be introduced in Blomkamp's Alien 5.

The incorporation of a new corporate body could be necessary for story purposes in Blokamp's Alien 5 (after the events of previous Alien films), similar to how the Jurassic World narrative necessitated the introduction of the Masrani Corporation. According to the Alien series canon, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation collapsed and was 'replaced' as the top dog organization on Earth by the United Systems Military, only to later re-merge as a more powerful company than ever before (following the events of Alien Resurrection). So, another possibility is that Weyland-Yutani now has a South Korean wing.

Such questions are part of what makes Blomkamp working on Alien 5 appealing; he will be able to mold and refashion that mythology with his unique artistic style, but while working within structured parameters that he perhaps could've used on his past couple films (Elysium and Chappie). It's been a while since we had a widely-loved Alien movie too, so this could prove to be a win-win-situation for all concerned parties.

NEXT: Neill Blomkamp Discusses Alien 5 and Prometheus 2 Connection

We'll bring you more information on Alien 5 when we have it.

Source: Neill Blomkamp