Ridley Scott Claims He Revived the ‘Alien’ Franchise With ‘Prometheus’

The ‘Alien’ franchise has experienced one of the most unusual trajectories in Hollywood, oscillating between horror-genre successes and significant creative downturns over nearly five decades. Ridley Scott, the visionary behind the original film in 1979, has consistently expressed his views on which installments he believes deserve the franchise’s name.

The series has faced near extinction multiple times, and Scott took a lengthy hiatus from directing after the original film. He eventually returned to address what he perceived as a chaotic aftermath left by other directors. Recently, he articulated his frustrations more directly than ever.

In a conversation with French outlet Brut, Scott was candid about his impact on the series. “I did the best one by far,” he stated. “Full stop. End of the f***ing story.” He elaborated that following the release of 1997’s ‘Alien Resurrection’, the franchise was essentially dead until he took the initiative to revive it.

“Then they let it die,” Scott remarked. “After [Alien] 4, they killed it. So I sat there thinking, I’m going to bring it back. I collaborated with a talented writer, and ultimately teamed up with Damon Lindelof, resulting in ‘Prometheus’.” He noted that the 2012 prequel generated enough momentum for him to create ‘Alien: Covenant’ in 2017, declaring the franchise “up and running” once more.

This statement serves as a pointed critique of ‘Alien Resurrection’, which featured Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder under the direction of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. That film grossed only $47.8 million domestically, marking it as the lowest-grossing entry in the series at the time and receiving harsh criticism upon its release. In contrast, ‘Prometheus’ boasted a stellar cast, including Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and Charlize Theron, and currently holds a 73 percent critics’ score, ranking just behind ‘Aliens’, the original ‘Alien’, and 2024’s ‘Alien: Romulus’ within the franchise.

Scott’s remarks come as he is actively working to complete the narrative initiated by ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Covenant’. The director has confirmed his return to finalize his prequel trilogy alongside Fassbender, continuing the story of the android David after the ambiguous conclusion of the 2017 film. According to Scott, the plan directly follows ‘Covenant’, with Fassbender’s character now perceiving himself as “Ozymandias.”

This announcement coincides with Scott’s involvement in refining 2024’s ‘Alien: Romulus’, the Fede Álvarez-directed interquel that successfully reignited mainstream interest in the franchise without directly continuing the ‘Prometheus’ storyline. Scott has previously indicated that this entry could benefit from “some help,” and his renewed engagement suggests he still views himself as the franchise’s primary steward.

The timing also aligns with renewed activity on the small screen. FX has recently renewed Noah Hawley’s television spinoff ‘Alien: Earth’ for a second season, expanding a franchise that now encompasses both film and television. With the TV expansion and Scott’s commitment to conclude his trilogy, ‘Alien’ shows no signs of slowing down nearly fifty years after it first captivated audiences.

Regardless of whether fans agree that ‘Prometheus’ was the franchise’s true salvation, Scott is clearly not done influencing its legacy.

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