Ridley Scott may have done a pretty crappy job with Alien Covenant, but it definitely wasn’t bad enough to kill the franchise, as 20th Century Studios has tapped Fede Álvarez to write and direct a new and original standalone feature for Disney’s Hulu streaming service, according to the latest exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter. Sources say that the movie will have no connection to any of the previous Alien films, but Álvarez’s previous projects, which include Don’t Breathe and 2013’s remake of Evil Dead, suggest that it should be a rightfully thrilling and/or gory ride. Scott, who has seemingly gone senile and forgot what made his original 1979 movie so special, will merely be producing this one under his Scott Free banner.
New ‘Alien’ Movie in the Works With ‘Don’t Breathe’ Filmmaker Fede Alvarez (Exclusive) (The Hollywood Reporter)
- The project is intended to be made for Hulu as part of 20th Century’s ambitions to make more than 10 movies a year for the Disney-operated streaming service.
- According to sources, Álvarez is a rabid fan of the franchise and casually pitched a take to Scott many years ago. The idea remained implanted in Scott’s brain until late last year, when he called Álvarez out of the blue and asked him if he was still up for it. Álvarez didn’t have to be asked twice.
- 20th Century picked up the project “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch,” said division president Steve Asbell. “It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.”