Studio:
20th Century Fox.
Production Company:
Brandywine.
Project Phase: Movies Rumored.
Who's In It:
No one confirmed as yet, but both Sigourney Weaver (Ripley) and Winona Ryder (Call)
have voiced their interest to return.
Who's Making It:
Joss Whedon (Screenwriter)?
Premise: Unknown. But the film will take place on Earth.
Release Date: Unknown.
Comments: Jean-Paul Jeunet's Alien Resurrection brought back many of the familiar trademarks of previous Alien films -- dark, haunted sets; a diverse ensemble of actors facing Nature's ultimate killing machine; the avatice to control a force that cannot be controlled by a faceless personification of commercial greed; and, of course, the Alien itself along with a new cousin added to its family tree. Reaction to Alien Resurrection was mixed among the fans of the series. While Jeunet's film brought back the element of strong supporting characters, some felt that there wasn't enough of a presentation for the new faces to make a substantial impact to the audience, or that the film neither matched the tension of the first film or the adrenaline-rush of its 1986 follow-up. Remember Parker from the first Alien, or Private Hudson from Aliens? Will fan shrines sprout for Christie or Elgyn in the same manner??
And what of the Newborn hybrid seen in the film's conclusion (and who's design changed substantially over the course of the fourth film's development)? It remains to be seen if this is a move away from the dark beauty of H.R. Giger's biomechanical look for the creature or just a blip.
But the core has been returned to the franchise: that being the return of Ellen Ripley, albeit a Alien/human hybrid. It remains to be seen just how much the new Ripley has accepted of her humanity, and how much 'the beast behind her eyes' will play. And with the addition of Call to attract new audience (and possibly extend the franchise life of the series), what role will she take in the post-Resurrection setting? Will Vreiss (Dominique Peron) or Johner (Ron Perlman) also return? And will we ever get to see just where, when and how such a nightmarish creature came to be?? (Or should we even dare to go there?)
Presumably the new and improved Ripley takes up her old hobbies again. That, or signs with the L.A. Lakers. Stay tuned.
'Widgett' speaks:
"If this actually occurs, there's only three words that need to be said. Just three. 'Lose.' 'The.' 'Goo.' If we wanted that much goo, we would have seen Flubber instead. Thank you."
Rumors: November, 1997... The fifth film may take place entirely on Earth, if hints dropped by Whedon are to be taken at face value. According to the writer, the ending of AR leads into the fifth film...which may mean we've yet to see the waste product hit the rotational air-directional device.
Scoop Feedback:
[Page drafted by 'Widgett' and CA.]
August 20, 1997... Alien Resurrection screenwriter Joss Whedon signed an exclusive $20 mil deal with Twentieth Century Fox. His production company, Mutant Enemy, Inc., will develop projects for the studio -- one of which may become the next Alien feature. [Sent in anonymously.]
November 30, 1997... Okay, so you've got Ripley back. What do you do now? Well, hell, make another sequel, of course. We've been keeping a file over the fast few months on any hints an Alien 5 may be in development, and we've been busy collecting it all together.
Weaver has stated that there will definitely be a fifth installment and has even dropped hints that she's ready to begin negotiations with Fox. It's also rumored that both Weaver and Ryder have signed to do two (count them) two new Alien films -- but we feel that's just fanboy wish material at this point. Fox hasn't signed either actress to a fifth film just yet, preferring to test the waters first and see how well AR is received (and makes m-o-n-e-y.) If it goes down (and we expect it will), Weaver's going to be playing in the $20 million dollars league for number five. [Scoops provided by 'Widgett', Michael Bourne, anonymously.]
December 2, 1997... Entertainment Weekly has Fox chairman Tom Rothman confirm that a fifth film is definately a reality, and Joss Whedon mentions he'll be taking first crack at Alien 5 (our inside sources confirm this.) One possible, very early title for the project is mentioned: 'Alien Revelation'. The film may be ready for a Christmas 1999 release. One anonymous scooper tells us that Earth is involved in the storyline but 'not in the way fans think', and Whedon hinted that a "big story" has yet to be told, with the fourth film being a "prologue" to "interesting things" taking place on Earth. Jean-Pierre Jeunet will not return to direct. But with the moderate-but-not-as-much-as-hoped-for opening box office of #4, will the plans for #5 develop as fast as the critter inside John Hurt's chest or stall a la Batman 5?[Scoops sent in by Jo, 'akasch', 'The Clown Prince', 'Ace', 'zltripley', 'D.F. Reaper', 'Lo Fi Boi', anonymously.]
December 14, 1997... So if the thought of an Alien 5 is nothing more than a pipe dream at this point, why is there a connection to (but nothing there) at the website www.alien5.com? [Sent in by the sneaky 'Mulch Man'.]
December 23, 1997... Further information about who owns the registry on the Internet "Alien 5" domain name: [Thanks to 'miale'.]
June 21, 1998... A storm of controversy has arose about an Internet rumor that Sigourney Weaver has signed a contract worth $20 million to star in Alien 5. If that were indeed true the industry trades (Variety and The Hollywood Reporter) would have made it front page material. And our Fox contacts insist that the project hasn't progressed farther than the stage of wishful thinking just yet but that if Weaver is to return her asking price would be around that figure. [Credit 'Big Man From Big B.A', and anonymous.]
June 23, 1998... Ok, listen up Alien fans: you're being had by the mainstream press, plain and simple. We don't care if you've seen it reported on MTV, in magazines, on your local radio entertainment show or by the manager of the nearest comic book store. Sigourney Weaver has not signed for twenty million dollars to star in Alien 5. It is a bogus rumor that's gone amok. Weaver's next picture isn't even SF.
We're not discounting a future scenario where Weaver gets twenty million to reprise Ripley again -- it's just that it's not happening right now. [Thanks to the many Alien fans for doing their duty -- hang in there until it does become a reality.]
August 11, 1998... An entertainment report from a British tabloid has sparked the latest round of Internet rumors about Sigourney Weaver's return in a fifth Alien film. According to the gossip Weaver's signed a contract for the fifth film that'll net her a cool $18 million dollars.
The thing is, it just ain't true. Nothing is happening on the Alien 5 front -- nada, zip, zero. And believe us, the amount of posturing and time it took before Weaver committed to the fourth film (let alone the third picture's trials and tribulations development period) means it's extremely unlikely any contract talks have been going on. Right now the Alien 5 possibilities are as cold as Kane's long-dead corpse adrift somewhere in deep space. [Nevertheless, thanks to a multitude of scoopers who were hoping against hope it was true.]
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