When people think of the Alien franchise, a few names spring to mind. Ridley Scott helped to springboard the franchise, and directed the recent prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. On the other hand, James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed the other films in the franchise.
However, Neill Blomkamp, best known for his work on District 9, was slated to work on an Alien sequel, with large amounts of concept art surfacing over the years. While this project was eventually canceled, there are a number of interesting facts surrounding it still available to the public.
Sigourney Weaver Was Very Interested
Sigourney Weaver, playing her iconic role as Ellen Ripley, is one of the Alien franchise’s most important characters. As such, her interest in the project was a huge boon before its cancellation. Blomkamp himself was interested by her potential involvement. According to an interview, “I also felt bad for Sigourney because she was really into what I had brought forward,” he says. “I felt like [for] audiences who loved Aliens, there was an opportunity to do one more film with Sigourney in a way that may have satiated what people were looking for and what I think I was looking for.
The Movie Would Be A Sequel To Aliens
Between the core films, spinoffs, prequels, comics, video games, and more, the universe and timeline of Alien’s world can be complex. However, Blomkamp’s films would stake out its own place in the timeline. Instead of being connected to Alien 3 or its sequel, Alien Resurrection, the cancelled film would be a sequel to James Cameron’s Aliens. This would have allowed Blomkamp to follow his own ideas, instead of being tied into what was written before.
The Prometheus Timeline Would Have Been Ignored
Ridley Scott’s newest installments to the alien franchise, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, have perhaps done more than any other media to obfuscate the franchise’s history. However, Blomkamp’s film would have broken away from the prequels. Not only would this allow the film to not have to engage with the somewhat convoluted story of those two films, but would have allowed it more easily establish its own identity.
Ripley Would Have Worn a Biomechanical Suit
Some of the most evocative art for Blomkamp’s film involves a strange new look for Ellen Ripley. In several pieces of art, Ripley is shown as wearing a strange suit of armor. The armor directly evokes the appearance of the xenomorphs, the titular aliens of the franchise. Including everything from a black carapace to a transparent visor like the xenomorph from Alien, the armor strikes an imposing design for Ripley, even if it is unknown why she would wear it.
Chappie Might Have Doomed the Movie
Chappie is another film directed by Neill Blomkamp. Chappie, which follows a robot gaining sentience in the cavity of Johannesburg, was not well received by critics or audiences, and Blomkamp believes that it may have led to why his alien sequel was never made. In fact, Blomkamp believes that Ridley Scott watching Chappie might have led to the sequel’s end. Said Blomkamp in an interview, “It’s possible that Ridley watched Chappie and he was like, this guy can’t do Alien so let’s just go ahead and move on.”
Some Concept Art Evokes Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection is the oft forgotten final installment of the first alien films. Taking place hundreds of years after the three movies preceding it, Alien Resurrection follows a crew of mercenaries, as well as a clone of Ripley. However, as divisive as it can be, the film still has many iconic scenes, notably including a chase between the main characters and xenomorphs that takes place mostly underwater. It appears that Blomkamp's concept pulled even from this, as a piece of concept art shows. In it, Ripley stands neck-deep in a pool of water, surrounded by the secretions xenomorphs use to build nests. Not only does this directly evoke Alien Resurrection, but it shows more of the dark one the film was obviously gunning for.
A Xenomorph Queen Would Play A Huge Role
Xenomorph Queens are a famous aspect of the Alien franchise. Massive in size, a Xenomorph Queen took part in one of the franchise’s most famous scenes, where Ripley fights one with a piece of futuristic Alien construction equipment. Several pieces of concept art prominently feature a Xenomorph Queen. While several show the queen running through various environments, another shows Ripley about to engage one in combat, while wearing a suit that looks suspiciously like a xenomorph itself.
A Derelict Would Play A Huge Role
The Alien franchise kicks off when the crew of the vessel the Nostromo discover a derelict, a massive alien craft. Incredibly striking, derelicts have made appearances in future Alien films, including Prometheus. However, a piece of art shows a derelict inside a huge facility, evidently being studied by human scientists. As a well-known piece of Alien iconography, seeing a derelict in concept art shows how much this film would have paid homage to earlier films in the series.
The Film Might Taken Place In A Space Station
Films within the Alien franchise have taken place in a bevy of locations. From huge spaceships to penal colonies and alien worlds, the settings of the franchise have often contributed just as much to the horror as the xenomorphs themselves. Concept art for the cancelled film shows several interesting settings that might have made it into the final product.
For example, some art shows a massive skyscraper in the midst of a bustling city, while another shows a facility that looks much like an off-coast mining rig. However, another piece shows a massive, cylindrical space station. While the video game Alien: Isolation took place on a massive space station, no film has been yet, making this an interesting departure for the series.
New Xenomorph Variants Would Be Featured
Throughout the alien franchise, new variants of xenomorphs have made constant appearances. From the classic Xenomorph queen, to the Deacon of Prometheus, to the canid "runner" of Alien 3, many of these variants are almost as iconic as the xenomorphs themselves. As such, it is no surprise that Blomkamp’s film would have featured a new xenomorph variant. Concept art shows some of the oddest xenomorphs yet, with pale bodies, much like the neomorphs from Alien Covenant. Unlike the neomorphs, however, these variants are shown as having additional limbs, with several having multiple elongated heads, making for a particularly terrifying design.
Androids Would Have Been Major Threats
The androids of the Alien franchise have been almost as ubiquitous as the xenomorphs themselves. With their white blood and varied motives, androids stand out, even among their robotic brethren from other franchises. As such, it should come as no surprise that concept art shows the androids’ return. One piece of art shows an android attacking an armed guard, suggesting a more villainous role for the humanoid robots. Another image shows Ripley ijnteracting with a partially dissembled android, also showing a connection to the protagonist.