Fede Álvarez has been greenlit to direct Alien 5 and, even with little information released so far, it sounds like there’s a lot to be excited about. Ridley Scott directed the original Alien in 1979 which has since become a sci-fi horror classic, spawning a galaxy of movies, novels, comics, and games. Scott’s vision for the franchise, however, leans more towards exploring artificial intelligence, shifting the focus away from the fearsome xenomorph creatures themselves. With his new Alien movie, Álvarez reportedly intends to bring the Alien saga back to its roots, with a self-contained story all about the horrifying extraterrestrial monsters themselves.
Ridley Scott has had a rough history with the Alien franchise, since directing the original movie. He commended James Cameron for Aliens, despite it being a very different movie to the one which Scott had wanted to make. Subsequently, Scott has mentioned that he was disappointed by Alien 3 and hasn’t publicly said a word about Alien Resurrection. Scott had once planned to make an Alien 5 movie together with Cameron but, according to rumors, the two were so displeased by Alien vs Predator that they both lost all enthusiasm for the project. Scott’s most recent ventures into the Alien franchise were the two prequel movies, Prometheus and Alien Covenant, both of which garnered a mixed reception and made it fairly clear that the aliens themselves are not central to Scott’s vision for the Alien franchise and its future.
Following his success in the horror genre, with the suspenseful Don’t Breathe and a 2013 reboot of Evil Dead, Fede Álvarez is an excellent choice to deliver the kind of edge-of-your-seat sci-fi horror which made the original Alien such a resounding success. Being disconnected from any of the movies which came before, Alien 5 will have the freedom to tell a new story with new characters without needing to worry about the continuity of the xenomorph mythos or connecting with other Alien movies. While the specifics about Álvarez’s intended story are still well-kept secrets, just the premise alone is enough to stir excitement about what this movie may hatch into.
Álvarez himself is a big fan of the Alien movies, which is the main reason he wanted to direct one himself. The fact that his wish has been granted bodes extremely well for how his movie may turn out – movies made by people who love the original source material are routinely some of the best, with their passion clearly showing through in the final product. Álvarez reportedly pitched his movie idea to Scott years ago. As it happens, his plan was so good that 20th Century Studios reportedly agreed to give Álvarez the reboot movie based solely on the strength of his pitch, with its compelling story and interesting cast of characters.
In 2022, the film industry is full of big-budget blockbusters and expanded universes that often try too hard to be what everyone wants. As a result, while they may be liked by many, they’re often loved by no one. Álvarez’s movie is intended to break this trend, choosing instead to allow the story to find its own identity. Taking the saga back to its roots with a horror-thriller centered around the terrifying xenomorph creature is the perfect choice for Alien 5, and exactly the kind of thing many fans of the Alien franchise have been hungry for.