According to Sigourney Weaver, James Cameron was a fan of Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 plans. Blomkamp’s plans for the sequel ultimately fell through, but not due to any lack of support from the director of Aliens. If anything, Weaver and Cameron would still like to see Blomkamp’s vision make it onto the big screen.
Back in 2015, Blomkamp - who is best known for District 9 - was signed on by Fox to create Alien 5. The film would have been a direct sequel to Aliens, thereby eliminating the events that happened in Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. Not much was ever revealed about the plot, but concept art showed that Ripley would have reunited with Hicks and Newt. While it seemed the studio was all for the film at first, Blomkamp’s project was set aside to make room for franchise creator Ridley Scott’s Prometheus sequel, Alien: Covenant. So far, it does not look like there are any plans to revive Blomkamp’s Alien 5.
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However, Weaver remains interested in the film. In an interview with THR, Weaver discussed how much she enjoyed working with Blomkamp on the film Chappie and would gladly do so again. Cameron had also been excited by Blomkamp’s suggested sequel and a good continuation of Aliens. However, due to Weaver’s and Blomkamp’s busy schedules, she doesn’t see it happening any time soon. As she told THR:
“We almost started to do it when I was working with James Cameron. But by the time we were put off by Fox, Neill had gotten so many jobs that we’d have to wait probably. I’m busy doing Avatar 4and 5. I love working with Neill and I think he’d do a terrific job, and James Cameron really thinks it’s a great idea, so you never know. Right now, I think Neill’s got like three projects going at once.”
Weaver’s and Blomkamp’s conflicting schedules aren’t the only reason fans won’t see Alien 5 in the foreseeable future. Once it became clear that Fox was going to focus on Scott’s film, Blomkamp shifted his attention to other projects. While he remains a fan of Weaver and of the Alien franchise, the drive he had to make Alien 5 is gone. The director has since moved on to direct a number of sci-fi shorts through Oat Studios, a company he created.
Plans for the continuation of the franchise currently remain unknown. Covenant’s mixed reviews and lackluster performance have undoubtedly given the studio pause. Add in the Disney/Fox merger and the fate of Fox’s franchises remain up in the air. Considering how many fans would love to see a Ripley, Newt, and Hicks reunion, or at least a better send-off than Newt and Hicks received in Alien 3, reviving plans for Alien 5 could be a wise decision. Now that Weaver and Cameron have given their support for the proposed film, maybe Disney could convince Blomkamp to reconsider his decision to move on.
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Source: THR