While the critical response might have been mixed (The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it “muddled”), the box office for Prometheus was a global success story.
The Alien prequel earned $403m worldwide, making it the biggest film in the franchise by some distance. A sequel was therefore put forward from early on, and reports suggest that Ridley Scott will start making it as soon as January 2016.
In an interview with Total Film, Scott, promoting Matt Damon sci-fi thriller The Martian, is said to be starting production at the beginning of next year. He also references his sustained return to the genre: “I’ve got back into the sci-fi thing, I kind of adore it.”
The plot is unknown, but Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are both slated to return, and Scott has already confirmed that the iconic xenomorph will not be featured. Instead, the film will focus more on the home planet of the engineers, who were introduced in Prometheus, and it will reportedly feature multiple Fassbenders.
Simultaneously, District 9 director Neill Blomkamp will be working on Alien 5, which will be produced by Scott and bring back original cast member Sigourney Weaver. It will take place after the events of Aliens, and Blomkamp has been tight-lipped over whether it will be related to the upcoming Prometheus sequel.
“I don’t think they’ll be running exactly side-by-side, but I don’t want to get into it too much,” he told IGN. “I will try to keep some of my cards close to my chest.”
