Alien Explorations: The coming and going of Blomkamp's Alien 5

leading from

a) Delay of the production
Neill Blomkamp's sequel would follow Ridley's Prometheus sequel Alien: Paradise Lost.

By November 2015, Blomkamp was in talks to write an adaption of the unpublished scifi novel "The Gone World".

By July of 2016, that was the film he would be directing next and Sigourney was off to join Cameron's Avatar sequels.

Had they not been forced to delay for Ridley's Prometheus sequel that would also become an Alien movie, they would surely have made it by the middle of 2016.

b) The path forks
And it would be more associated with Ripley than Ridley's movie, it was a completely different angle in terms of the Alien saga, as more of a sequel, and Ridley's Alien movie was coming in from the back end.

It didn't matter that Blomkamp's Alien movie would veer off from the path in terms of where Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection went.

It was accepted that the path forked after Aliens, following the idea that each director wanted to create a whole new set of circumstances.

c) Sigourneys views on the script
Sigourney thought that while the story went off in its own direction, it was written in a way that satisfied, in her opinions, the primal needs of the aliens, whatever that meant.

She also thought thought that it would also give Ripley an ending.

It was also a tribute to the great work that the other directors had done.

Did she wish to include Fincher and Jeunet amongst those other directors?

d) Ridley's viewa
With Neill Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver wanted to do this Alien V, or was it called Alien Awakening?

Ridley said "Fine", and he was going to be producer, if he could have.

He would have, except that he didn't understand why they should have two Alien films out at the same time.

Ridley's own Alien films were about asking questions and Blomkamp's didn't, so he thought it was like shooting ones big toe off and this didn't make sense.

Around this time Ridley asked Neill not to make his Alien sequel until Ridley had made his Prometheus sequel that would be released first.

Although Sigourney Weaver was quite sure that they had a great script, curiously all Ridley could acknowledge was that the project was based on a ten page pitch and the script he saw wasn't actually evolving.

e) Michael Biehn's perspective

As Michael Biehn came to hear about it, he undersood that the basic idea was acting as if Alien 3 and 4 didn't exist.

He went to Blomkamp's website and could see all the artwork for the movie that was being shown.

He was aware that Ridley was making his own movie while acting as executive producer on Blomkamp's, and so he was really looking forwards to it.

He could see how Ridley's focus would be on the film project tthat would become Alien Covenant.

He could also see how he would not want Neill's film and his own coming out the same time, because, so it was being explained to him, they would be two different worlds, but at the same time similar.

With that he knew that they were putting the brakes on Neill's movie for a short while.

He was quite sure that it would be embarrassing to Ridley, Fox and Sigourney if the movie didn't get made.

Although he wasn't online much himself, it was his children who read saw a lot of information about it on Reddit and they were excited.

The idea was bringing both Hicks and Newt back and so New would be around twenty seven years old.

He could see how every actress in Hollywood would want to play her, and it would keep the franchise alive and the studios would be making money because that was where the bottom line was now.

Biehn had seen Distric 9, and when he saw i for he firs time, his response was "wow" and so he has hopes foor it

f) Disintergration
Fox didn't appear to be interested in the concept, and it appeared as if Ridley decided to keep out of it,

As far as he was concerned, he re-ignited this franchise to bring it off the ground again because it was lying there dormant on the shelf, and he had enough on his plate with preparing the Alien Covenant movie.

Blomkamp appeared to take note of Ridley's unwillingness to push, he didn't wish to put the blame on him and let the matter rest.

Somewhere in February 2019, it seemed as if Cameron almost suggested that he was talking to Blomkamp about his film project but nothing more was said

g) Aftermath

As 2021 came along and Blomkamp thought about what had happened back then when doing his press junket interviews for Demonic.

Hs impression was that that Ridley must have watched Chappie and thought "this guy can’t do Alien so let’s just go ahead and move on." but he really didn't know.

Or it was a case of both projects were moving forward at Fox simultaneously and one of them was picked. Fox just clearly doesn’t want his Alien V.

So by then he didn't have anything to do with it for years.

Blomkamp felt bad for Sigourney because she was very into what he had brought forwards as an idea.

He also felt for the audiences who loved Aliens who wanted a continuation on that vision as he thought that there was an opportunity to do one more film with Sigourney that might have satiated what people were looking for and he thought that he was looking for.

He thought that it was strange how the project came to an end.

However having worked on this film project for two years and have it pulled out from under his feet meant that he didn't really want to know Ridley Scott, and so clarification about the situation was never given

If he was asked to come back and do the film, he was not sure that he would do the project, and then it would be a question of getting him interested enough into wanting to do it again.

So what does this mean for Neill Blomkamp’s sequel? There had been speculation that Alien: Paradise Lost might mean that it wouldn’t get made, but Sir Ridley has scotched those rumours. “I’m producing it,” he reiterated. “The design is for it to go out next, after this. This will go out first. It’s more associated with Ripley, it’s a completely different angle, it’s more of a sequel. I’m coming in from the back end.” (25th September 2015 http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=45507)

Иeill Blomkamp ‏@NeillBlomkamp : alien is kinda holding/ pending prometheus 2. So I shall be working on other things... as much as I love the xeno- and Lt ripley (Twitter Oct 29 2015)

Posted November 11 2015 — 11:42 AM EST
Neill Blomkamp is in talks to write the script for and direct Fox’s movie adaptation of The Gone World, a forthcoming sci-fi novel from Thomas Sweterlitsch, EW has confirmed. (http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/11/neill-blomkamp-talks-write-direct-gone-world)

Sigourney Weaver: Well, we have a great script. Fox asked us to delay so Ridley Scott could shoot his [second] Prometheus movie. That was too bad because we would have already done it by now. (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

Scott’s film is shooting now and comes out in August 2017, but that doesn’t mean Blomkamp’s Aliens follow-up will start right away. “Now that we’re waiting for that, I have a couple of Avatars to do and Neill has The Gone World,” Weaver says. “So we’ll have to see what happens when we get back, when those projects are over.”(http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

Either way, she sounds determined to revisit Ellen Ripley. “It’s a great story and it’s satisfying to me to give this woman an ending,” Weaver says, which makes it sound like this would be her final go-round as the character. That means resolution — not that Ripley will necessarily die. (Note that she’s died before, and that obviously didn’t end anything.) (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

Weaver also suggested Blomkamp’s Aliens sequel will delve into the motivation of the aliens themselves, exploring what it is their race has been seeking. “The script itself has so much in it that’s so original, but also really satisfies the, I would say, the primal needs of the aliens,” Weaver says. “It’s a tribute to all of the great work that the other directors have done, in a way, but goes in a completely new direction. I hope we’ll do it.”(http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

After teaming up on 2014’s Chappie, Weaver also seems eager to join forces again with Blomkamp. “We’ve just finished something else together that I can’t talk about, but you know, I hope so,” she says. “But you never know in this crazy business. In any case, [the Aliens sequel] there and waiting for us. He and I both have these other commitments that are finally upon us, and so we’ve got to switch gears and concentrate on that. But it will be worth the wait when we finally get to it.”(http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

There’s no doubt whatsoever — if the movie happens, it will redirect the story from the third and forth installments, David Fincher’s Alien3 1992) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien: Resurrection (1997). “It’s just as if, you know, the path forks and one direction goes off to three and four and another direction goes off to Neill’s movie,” Weaver says. “It’s just more, I would say, following Jim Cameron’s story about these characters, rather than just ending up in this sort of monastery in space, which was [Alien3 screenwriter] Vincent Ward’s idea and Fox elected to go in that direction. I think Fincher was fine with that. Each director kind of wanted to create a whole new set of circumstances. In this case, it picks up, it follows directly the circumstances of Jim Cameron’s Aliens.”(http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

For those looking forward to seeing that story realized in a few years, Weaver has encouraging words.
“I hope it won’t be a few. I hope it’ll be a couple. But we’ll see. Yeah.” (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/13/sigourney-weaver-aliens-sequel-neill-blomkamp)

Ridley Scott: They wanted to do Alien, er, Awakening - Neill Blomkamp. I said fine. I was going to be the producer. If I could have, I would have. Except I do question - why have both [Blomkamp's Alien and Scott's Alien] out there? It seems like shooting your big toe off - it doesn't make sense.(http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/05/09/alien-covenant-sequel-will-begin-shooting-within-14-months-says-ridley-scott)

Ridley Scott: But they didn't go forward with it, Fox, so I just kind of kept out of it. I mean, I'd literally ignited this thing to bring it off the ground again, because it was lying there dormant on a shelf. I had this thing to bring it back up - but here we are. (http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/05/09/alien-covenant-sequel-will-begin-shooting-within-14-months-says-ridley-scott)

Ridley Scott: It's good when it's good. If the sequel's good, then it's worthwhile. (http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/05/09/alien-covenant-sequel-will-begin-shooting-within-14-months-says-ridley-scott)

Allocine: What do you think of the project that Neill Blomkamp started for Alien number 5 with the return of Sigourney Weaver, Weaver in it?

Ridley Scott: Well, there was never a script, it was an idea which was evolved on I think a ten page pitch, and I was meant to be part of the producer on that and it didn't evolve. Fox just decided that they didn't want to do it, so that was it, so I just, I was already onto, I think I had done Prometheus and I was already planning Covenant so, don't know

Allocine: That's never going to happen

Ridley Scott: I don't think so, no (Transcription from video of interview at http://www.allocine.fr/ 27 april, 2017)
Signourney did an appearance last month at tech giant VMware (thanks Cindy and Chris!), and when asked about the state of the project, she said:

Well, I *think* it is. Ridley asked Neill NOT to make our Alien til after Prometheus 2. He (Ridley) wanted his movie to shoot and be released first. But it’s an AMAZING script, and Neill and I are REALLY excited about doing it. We’re doing other things until we can get going on that. I’d be really surprised if we DIDN’T do it, because it’s such a great script, and we love working together. So, it’s just going to take a little bit longer to get out to you, but it’ll be worth the wait.

Needless to say, the audience reacted strongly to this, and here’s hoping. Ellen Ripley has yet to let us down.
(Blomkamp’s “Alien” Update From Ripley Herself by Mary Anne Butler • 05/25/16
https://aggressivecomix.com/blomkamps-alien-film-update-from-ripley-herself/)
When asked if the project could come back to life in the future, Blomkamp confirmed with ComicBook.com, "No, would be my guess. I would say nothing will come out. But, who knows? At this present moment, I would say it's just dead." (https://comicbook.com/horror/news/alien-5-neill-blomkamp-reaction-future-franchise-disney-update/)
IGN interview: After After, when Tim takes care of that, can you give Neill Blomkamp a call about Aliens just to please me"

Jim Cameron:“I’m working on that. yah".

( IGN interview "James cameron: what would Sarah Connor think of Alita? 7th Feb 2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEP86i18wQY&t=59s
Blomkamp: What are other sci-fi favourites of yours?

Rogan: Alien

Blomkamp:Alien, yeah

Rogan: That's why I was really excited when I heard that you were at least potentially at one point in time thinking about doing an Alien

Blomkamp:Yuh, it would have been cool

Rogan: What happened?

Blomkamp:It's just, you know, it's just studio politics and the um, I do think that they way that Chappie was received probably played a role in me not working on Alien, uh, but uh, you know, it's it's Ridley's world that he created and it's like it should be his to do with what he wants with so it's all good

Rogan: Yuh, I get that but still it would have been fun

Blomkamp:Yuh, yuh, it would have been fun for me as well , I mean, the the thing that I would have enjoyed about it was sigourney weaver was really down for what I'd written and she'd, that. the main thing to me was, even though I like Alien 3, and I love Fincher as a director, I just wanted a version of , of the continuation of what happened after Aliens and for Newt to be alive and for, you know, for Ripley to continue that story erm and it was so based on that idea

Rogan: Is the kid who played Newt old, how old is she now

Blomkamp:Um, I, I mean in my story she would be, she was in her kind of mid twenties, um in real,... Alien, Aliens just turned 35 so she must be like you know, forty four, something like that

Rogan: Isn't that wild?

Blomkamp:Yuh (The Joe Rogan Experience #169, August 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8zuLUNyVK4)
The Independant: What’s the status with the Alien film you’ve long been attached to make?
Blomkamp: I don’t know, to be honest. I’m not sure that I would do that project. My assumption is that it’s completely dead.
The Independant:What happened?
Blomkamp: It was a case of both projects were moving forward at Fox simultaneously, and one of them was picked. Sigourney was unbelievably supportive and amazing. I have nothing but the best things to say about Sigourney. I’m such a fan of hers on every level. She was always into the project, but Fox just clearly doesn’t want it. I haven’t had anything to do with that for years.
The Independant: Every year there seems to be new concept art leaked that gets a huge reaction from Alien fans wanting to know if it will ever happen. But, it’s easy to forget you might no longer be in the same mind space...
Blomkamp: I wonder if it’s possible to do an entire loop, where your’e really into it up until the point it gets shut down, then you lose interest and years go by and you loop all the way back around to being really into it again. Maybe that’s hypothetically possible.
Maybe Alien 5 will be the last film you ever do.
Blomkamp: Yeah! (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/neill-blomkamp-alien-5-interview-demonic-b1905227.html)
Neill Blomkamp has provided an update on the status of Alien 5, which he has long been attached to direct.
Blomkamp’s film, which would have been a sequel to James Cameron’s 1988 sequel Aliens, was put on “temporary hold” at the request of Alien director Ridley Scott.
In 2017, Ellen Ripley star Sigourney Weaver, said: “Ridley asked Neill not to make our Alien ‘til after Prometheus 2; he wanted his movie to shoot and be released first.”
Now, in an interview with The Independent, Blomkamp has revealed the film is officially not happening.
“My assumption is that it’s completely dead,” the District 9 director said.
Reflecting on the situation, Blomkamp continued: “It was a case of both projects were moving forward at Fox simultaneously and one of them was picked. Fox just clearly doesn’t want it. I haven’t had anything to do with that for years.”
He had nothing but nice words to say about Weaver.
“Sigourney was unbelievably supportive and amazing,” he said. “I have nothing bu the best things to say about Sigourney. I’m such a fan of hers on every level. She was always into the project.”
(https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/alien-5-neill-blomkamp-b1905390.html)
Icons of Fright: You mentioned your 40-year career point and I’m curious, at this point in your career, having played so many iconic characters, is there perhaps a type of film you look for that you haven’t yet had the chance to do or how do you decide whether or not do a film?
Michael Biehn: I don’t work that often. At this point, I’ve been able to be a part of some many great movie, but I don’t think there’s going to be another TERMINATOR or ALIENS or THE ABYSS or TOMBSTONE. If it does come along, I’ll see it and I’ll know it and will definitely jump on it, but the older you get, the less likely you are to get those parts. I’m really pleased with my resume’ and what I’ve done in my life so far, as far as an actor and a director. I directed one thing and that was THE VICTIM and having to write that movie in twelve days and doing pre-production while writing it and even shooting it in twelve days, I’m very proud of that little movie. Who knows though? They’re talking about doing another ALIENS movie, with Neill Blomkamp, and Fox came and announced it and Sigourney (Weaver) has come out and announced it. The basic idea is acting like ALIEN3 and 4 never existed, so if you go on Neill Blomkamp’s site, everyone can see all of the artwork for that. I know Ridley Scott is doing his movie first and is going to be the executive producer on this one, so I’m really looking forward to that. I know that Ridley’s focus is on the second PROMETHEUS (now titled ALIEN: COVENANT) and I’m sure that he and Fox both don’t want that and Neill’s movie to come out right next to each other, because they’re kind of two different worlds, with ALIENS taking place thousands of years later, which is how they explained it all to me, but at the same time, they want to give them a similar feel. I know they’re putting the brakes on Neill’s movie just for a little while, but I really think that it would be embarrassing to Ridley and Fox and Sigourney if they just didn’t make the movie.

Icons of Fright: Oh trust me, I agree with you, I’m dying to see THAT one.
Michael Biehn: I think when they put that out there and have pictures with me as Hicks again, people were excited and though I’m not into online stuff much, my kids saw a lot about it on Reddit. They were excited. They’re planning on bringing me and Newt back and at this point Newt will be around twenty-seven years old. I know that every actress in Hollywood is going to want to play this one, it’s really a passing of the torch between Sigourney and this younger actress who would play Newt. It would keep the franchise alive and the studios would make money, because that’s what the bottom line is now: money. That’s why you end up seeing TERMINATOR 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10 and THE FAST AND FURIOUS 7, 8, 9, and 10. So when that happens, the ALIENS film, maybe that will be one more movie that I can make a mark with, plus, Neill is such a talented guy. When I saw DISTRICT 9 for the first time, I was glued to my seat, going “wow”. So I’m hopeful for that one.
Icons of Fright: You mentioned your 40-year career point and I’m curious, at this point in your career, having played so many iconic characters, is there perhaps a type of film you look for that you haven’t yet had the chance to do or how do you decide whether or not do a film?

Michael Biehn: I don’t work that often. At this point, I’ve been able to be a part of some many great movie, but I don’t think there’s going to be another TERMINATOR or ALIENS or THE ABYSS or TOMBSTONE. If it does come along, I’ll see it and I’ll know it and will definitely jump on it, but the older you get, the less likely you are to get those parts. I’m really pleased with my resume’ and what I’ve done in my life so far, as far as an actor and a director. I directed one thing and that was THE VICTIM and having to write that movie in twelve days and doing pre-production while writing it and even shooting it in twelve days, I’m very proud of that little movie. Who knows though? They’re talking about doing another ALIENS movie, with Neill Blomkamp, and Fox came and announced it and Sigourney (Weaver) has come out and announced it. The basic idea is acting like ALIEN3 and 4 never existed, so if you go on Neill Blomkamp’s site, everyone can see all of the artwork for that. I know Ridley Scott is doing his movie first and is going to be the executive producer on this one, so I’m really looking forward to that. I know that Ridley’s focus is on the second PROMETHEUS (now titled ALIEN: COVENANT) and I’m sure that he and Fox both don’t want that and Neill’s movie to come out right next to each other, because they’re kind of two different worlds, with ALIENS taking place thousands of years later, which is how they explained it all to me, but at the same time, they want to give them a similar feel. I know they’re putting the brakes on Neill’s movie just for a little while, but I really think that it would be embarrassing to Ridley and Fox and Sigourney if they just didn’t make the movie.

Icons of Fright: Oh trust me, I agree with you, I’m dying to see THAT one.
Michael Biehn: I think when they put that out there and have pictures with me as Hicks again, people were excited and though I’m not into online stuff much, my kids saw a lot about it on Reddit. They were excited. They’re planning on bringing me and Newt back and at this point Newt will be around twenty-seven years old. I know that every actress in Hollywood is going to want to play this one, it’s really a passing of the torch between Sigourney and this younger actress who would play Newt. It would keep the franchise alive and the studios would make money, because that’s what the bottom line is now: money. That’s why you end up seeing TERMINATOR 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10 and THE FAST AND FURIOUS 7, 8, 9, and 10. So when that happens, the ALIENS film, maybe that will be one more movie that I can make a mark with, plus, Neill is such a talented guy. When I saw DISTRICT 9 for the first time, I was glued to my seat, going “wow”. So I’m hopeful for that one. (http://iconsoffright.com/2015/11/18/interview-michael-biehn-talks-comedy-series-24-hour-rental-alien-5/)
Sskywarpe8 years ago"Michael Beihn says he's been contacted
I'm at Pensacon, just now gave Michael a Reece ReAction figure, said "This is yours... one question, have you been contacted for Alien 5?" He looked at me, smiled and said, "Yes." Holy... shitake...( https://www.reddit.com/r/LV426/comments/2xhmu0/michael_beihn_says_hes_been_contacted/ 2015)
One person who he suggests Chappie wasn’t for was Ridley Scott, the gatekeeper of the Alien franchise, who earlier that year had expressed interest in Blomkamp’s concept for a sequel. In February, it was announced. In March, Chappie was released. In October, it was cancelled. “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,” he says with a smile.
Blomkamp’s film would have carried on from James Cameron’s Aliens, bringing back Sigourney Weaver, who also starred in Chappie. The collapse was hard on him. “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.” He adds: “What doesn’t make sense is that I feel like it’s what the audience wanted so it’s strange because Fox would never really turn down money.”
I ask if he spoke to Scott after, if any more specific clarification was given. “Not after, no no no, there’s no coming back from that,” he says. “I’m not gonna work on a film for two years and have the rug pulled out from underneath me and then go hang out and have beers. It’s exactly why I don’t want to do IP based on other people’s stuff ever again.” (He also denied a report that emerged earlier this year that his Alien film was back on track: “I’m sure they will make many films with that piece of IP, it just doesn’t include me.”)
His comment about intellectual property seems extreme, especially given his dalliances with other franchises but when I ask if he’s serious, he relents a tad. “It’s not that black and white,” he says. “If there’s something amazing and the set-up is right, I wouldn’t say no but generally speaking after Halo and after Alien, it would be unwise to do that.” (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/21/neill-blomkamp-interview-demonic-chappie-alien)

The coming and going of Blomkamp's Alien 5

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