Prometheus *SPOILERS FROM POST 1538*

mikhail

Galvasean wrote: »

Generally when they go into too much detail explaining things they end up making a mess, like why a Xenomorph skull was present in the Predator's ship. A nice easter egg eventually evolved into a very poor spinoff film franchise.

My understanding is that was drawing from AVP comics, which originate about the same time as the film.

Wikipedia gives '91 for the copyright on the first collection of the comics (the collection then came out in '92), and '90 for the film. It may be that the comics had already been greenlit by the time the film was shooting, or I may have been misinformed.

Cantona's Collars

From Digital Spy:

Charlize Theron has been approached to star in Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, says Vulture.

The Oscar-winning actress, who recently turned down a role in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar project, is reportedly in line to play spaceship crewmember Vickers.

Scott had allegedly wanted to cast Michelle Yeoh in the part, but backers 20th Century Fox have been pushing for a bigger name in the role to support potential lead Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), the director's favoured choice for the character Elizabeth Shaw.

Inglourious Basterds star Michael Fassbender is also said to be in negotiations to play an android among the ship's crew.

molloyjh

zerks wrote: »

From Digital Spy:

Charlize Theron has been approached to star in Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, says Vulture.
The Oscar-winning actress, who recently turned down a role in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar project, is reportedly in line to play spaceship crewmember Vickers.
Scott had allegedly wanted to cast Michelle Yeoh in the part, but backers 20th Century Fox have been pushing for a bigger name in the role to support potential lead Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), the director's favoured choice for the character Elizabeth Shaw.
Inglourious Basterds star Michael Fassbender is also said to be in negotiations to play an android among the ship's crew.

I don't like the sound of this. Getting the big name pretty people could be the wrong move completely. Theron is great, but not what Alien needs imo. It's meant to be gritty and "real" not trendy or glossy.

krudler

Fassbender is a great casting choice, really like him. Theron I'm not sure about, these movies tend to favour character actors not movie stars. Sigourney Weaver was an unknown when Alien came out, it was on the back of that she became a star. Then you had respected but not exactly A list stars like Hurt, Holm and Yaphet Kotto. So having a big name actor or actress is going to put the focus on them not on the characters. If the premise is strong enough the some decent character actors will still make it worthwhile.

Professey Chin

To be fair to Theron we've seen in Monster that she doesnt need any glam and can be completely immersed in a role

Duggy747

She can immerse herself and give a good performance when she wants to but she's too big of a name for something like this.

Fassbender, though, I'd love to see in this.

Sad Professor

I'm sceptical about this. Theron gets rumoured for everything. It was The Dark Knight Rises a few months ago. However, I suspect Scott will have to compromise on something. If he wants an R rating and/or a big budget he'll probably have to cast a big star. I like Theron though and think she would be good in this.

However, I have serious doubts about whether Scott has enough clout to make this the way he wants.

Duggy747

Sad Professor wrote: »

However, I have serious doubts about whether Scott has enough clout to make this the way he wants.

Fox just see this franchise as a money machine that should appeal to the masses, nothing else. So for Ridley to come along and want to take away the bullshìt and make it a serious horror film he'll have to bite his tongue on some things.

He could end up sacrificing the rating for the budget. Fox apparently want PG-13 but I'd imagine a more realistic 15s will be settled on for this film.

mikhail

Duggy747 wrote: »

He could end up sacrificing the rating for the budget. Fox apparently want PG-13 but I'd imagine a more realistic 15s will be settled on for this film.

There's no 15s rating in the US. It's PG-13 or R.

Duggy747

mikhail wrote: »

There's no 15s rating in the US. It's PG-13 or R.

I know, I was using our rating system. I meant 12A for PG-13, anywho.

ebbsy

I remember coming out of the cinema after 3 and 4......thought to myself unless Cameron or Scott directed it would be pointless.

Really looking forward to this myself.

Sad Professor

Some new info about the film:

The title is "Prometheus". Scott says it's not a prequel in the typical sense.

“While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.”

Damon Lindelof (Lost) wrote the script based on a draft by Jon Spaihts. He says:

"In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley's vision was for this movie. It's daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true."

The US release date March 9, 2012.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/ridley-scott-directing-prometheus-for-fox-noomi-rapace-locked-while-angelina-jolie-and-charlize-theron-circling-2nd-female-lead/

From the Hollywood Reporter, which makes the film's non-prequel status clear:

The Alien prequel is dead and a new Ridley Scott project has been reborn.
Fox has announced that instead of making a much-talked about Alien movie, the project has been reconfigured as an original sci-fi movie, titled Prometheus, with Scott still at the helm and with Noomi Rapace to star.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/foxs-alien-prequel-morphs-prometheus-72052

Sad Professor

So what does everyone think?

For the first time I'm really excited about this film. Scott always said he wasn't interested in doing another rehash of the original film, and from the sounds of it he and Lindelof managed to come up with something that can stand on its own merits.

Lindelof was the key creative player in Lost. And whatever about the successes and failures he had in trying to wrap up a serialised tv show after 6 seasons, I think he proved himself to be an excellent writer with a great mind for creating intriguing twists and mythology.

mikhail

Sad Professor wrote: »

So what does everyone think?

For the first time I'm really excited about this film. Scott always said he wasn't interested in doing another rehash of the original film, and from the sounds of it he and Lindelof managed to come up with something that can stand on its own merits.

Lindelof was the key creative player in Lost. And whatever about the successes and failures he had in trying to wrap up a serialised tv show after 6 seasons, I think he proved himself to be an excellent writer with a great mind for creating intriguing twists and mythology.

I'm still a bit cautious. Scott's been so hit and miss for so long, and inevitably everyone (including me) will be comparing this with the original Alien. It's a big ask for it to stand up. I'll put it this way though: I finally added the film - today - to my imdb-hosted list of upcoming films that are worth looking out for.

BlitzKrieg

i think we need to change the thread title

Sad Professor

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

i think we need to change the thread title

I was just thinking that as well. Done.

red dave

I really don't know what to expect from this.

From the IMDB

In the year 2085, the Yutani Corporation meets with Weyland Corporation to discuss terraforming.

Doesn't exactly set me alight with that short summary. If it's not an Alien prequel then what is it? The Good Wife in space

Correct me if I'm wrong but this did start out as a prequel to Alien? Looks like when they put ideas together decided to branch off that and create some other drama in space. Could be because they have a crap story or else they have come up with a really good "other" story.

Interesting that in IMDb it lists 2 "Alien Prequel" movies for release dates in 2013 and 2014. One very long movie split in two. I think I'll wait to form a better opinion until I learn more about the story but I'm putting expectations very low for the moment.

Sad Professor

The IMDB info is outdated and unreliable. I haven't heard anything about the 2 part film idea in a while. However, I suspect Scott and Lindelof have created a mythology that could span more than one film. But Fox is unlikely to green light more than one film at a time.

The fact that they've abandoned the Alien continuity and are making this as an original standalone film is very good sign imo. Where it goes from here is another thing. Robin Hood was a pretty good example of a film project transforming into something else with disastrous results.

Richard Dower

Will Richard Dean Anderson now pop up?

pixelburp

I'm confused about this development and what has come out of it. So this movie isn't set in the "Alien" universe at all then? So it's just going to be a completely unrelated Sci Fi movie? Gotta be honest, if that's the case I'm fairly disinterested in the project now, it seems like a helluva about-turn to decide to change tack like that.

Corholio

pixelburp wrote: »

I'm confused about this development and what has come out of it. So this movie isn't set in the "Alien" universe at all then? So it's just going to be a completely unrelated Sci Fi movie? Gotta be honest, if that's the case I'm fairly disinterested in the project now, it seems like a helluva about-turn to decide to change tack like that.

Yep, thats exactly what it is. Nothing to do with Alien anymore. While im glad Scott is doing another sci-fi film, im disappointed he's backed out of the Alien prequel.

the_monkey

Very dissapointed, especially after Scott mentioned the upcoming prequel
in the Blu Ray anthology.

Handsome Bob

There's no need to go ott about this. Scott said that Alien fans will recognise DNA strands of the universe. So to me, this film will still be within the same universe as the Alien films.

I mean c'mon, Fox greenlit a film within the Alien universe. They're not gonna accept Scott making a film completely alien to that universe pardon the pun.

jaykhunter

As long as the film is good i couldn't care less if it's a prequel, sequel or stand-alone film.

Anyone else think that "Prometheus" is a pseudo-intellectual douchebag title?

OctavarIan

This is excellent news, I don't think the Alien franchise could have stood another flogging. Glad to see someone at Fox with their head screwed on right.

mikhail

jaykhunter wrote: »

Anyone else think that "Prometheus" is a pseudo-intellectual douchebag title?

Depends on the film. If it's relevent to the plot and themes, no.

conorhal

I'm really not a fan of the methodology that Scott has been using to develop his projects lately.
What's happening with the Alien prequel sounds very much like what happened on Robin Hood. Scott gets a green light for a script that the studio is interested in (originally a film called Nottingham), but then decides that isn't the film that he wants to make.
What Scott the visualist wants’ is to indulge his fetish for shooting big battles with knights on horseback and his historical research for the period has given him a fascination with the Magna Carta, a document that framed a citizens rights for the very first time, but unfortunately nether of these twon passions have anything at all to do with Robin Hood.
So Scott commands his script monkeys to weave these disparate elements into the story and what you end up with is a film called Robin Hood, which has the necessary name recognition element to keep the studio happy, but in fact only contains strands of the DNA from the original story.... and is of course a bloated, self indulgent, incoherent mess of a film.
After hearing this news I expect a total abortion of a film whose 'Making Of' featurette is likely to be more intresting then the movie itself.

JP Liz V1

http://www.nme.com/movies/news/ridley-scotts-alien-prequel-morphs-into-prometh/202901

20th Century Fox has announced via Twitter that director Ridley Scott has scrapped his long awaited Alien prequel, and is instead working on an original science-fiction story. Scott's new film is to be called Prometheus and will star The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo actress Noomi Rapace.
Scott directed the original 1979 Alien movie, and he told Deadline that his work developing the aborted prequel had inspired the formulation of the new movie, which he says will be recognisable to fans of the franchise.
He said: "While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognise strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart."
It is reported that screenwriter Jon Spaihts has written the first draft of Prometheus's script, which he then worked on further with former Lost show runner Damon Lindelof.
Lindelof said: "In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley's vision was for this movie. It's daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theatre as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true."
Rapace will play scientist Elizabeth Shaw, one of five main roles, with the other still to be cast. Deadline goes onto report that Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron are being considered for the other major female role, named Vickers.
Fox has also announced Prometheus will be released on March 9, 2012.

Duggy747

I'm disappointed I was really looking forward to an Alien film, especially since the main man himself was returning. It's one of my favourite franchises so I would loved to see how Scott would have treated it from all that he's learned in the 30 years since he made it. He'd at least have put it back on track to repair the damage from Alien Ressurection, AVP, & AVP:Requiem.

Bah, I don't want "DNA strands"........I wanted an Alien movie.

Oh well, I'll still follow this project anyways and will be interested to see how Scott fares in this genre again.

Galvasean

jaykhunter wrote: »

Anyone else think that "Prometheus" is a pseudo-intellectual douchebag title?

'He [Prometheus] was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals.[2] Zeus then punished him for his crime by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day. His myth has been treated by a number of ancient sources, in which Prometheus is credited with – or blamed for – playing a pivotal role in the early history of mankind'
-sounds fun.

I can't help but feel that we've been had. Scott talks about an Alien prequel, gets funding for an Alien prequel, starts pre-production for an Alien prequel, gets the fans excited about an Alien prequel.... Then decides he's not gonna make an Alien prequel. Free publicity for a different movie altogether.