Ridley Scott has recently confirmed that a long-awaited sequel to Alien: Covenant is in development, with Michael Fassbender’s android David front and center. Alien: Covenant (2017) followed the crew of a colony ship that discovers a dangerous world and meets David, whose sinister experiments are connected to the origins of the Xenomorph. The movie ends on a rather abrupt note, with David taking control of the ship and its sleeping colonists. The new story is said to explore David forging a brave new world for himself. 

After years of uncertainty, the Alien franchise may finally be returning to one of its most unsettling unfinished stories. 

Almost 10 years after the 2017 release of Alien: Covenant, which ended on a cliffhanger, Ridley Scott has confirmed that a sequel is coming. The new project, Scott told the Los Angeles Times, will pick up where Prometheus and Covenant left off. The follow-up is expected to explore the next chapter of the character and his ambitions for a new world. 

“We wrote it. I met with Barry [Gibb]. I hope it comes together, and Barry does as well”, Scott confirmed that the script is written and expressed hope that the project moves forward. 

He further said LA Times that the next Alien prequel is reportedly a follow-up to Michael Fassbender’s David after the events of Alien: Covenant. Ridley Scott, who recently called himself an influencer, is especially drawn to the character because of his status as a malfunctioning artificial intelligence. The journey for David is about creating a new universe for himself, the filmmaker said, but it is also about bigger questions about A.I., and whether artificial intelligence could ever surpass human intelligence.

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David’s story may be heading into even darker territory, with Scott’s fascination with artificial intelligence shaping the direction of the next Alien prequel. 

Alien: Covenant ended abruptly with David secretly replacing Walter, putting Daniels into hypersleep, and taking control of the colony ship carrying around 2,000 sleeping colonists. He also said he would brought Facehugger embryos aboard. David’s return has reportedly been key to the franchise’s future, with filmmaker Fede Álvarez previously eyeing the character for another Alien project. Scott had fought against that idea so he could keep David’s storyline for himself. 

The announcement of an Alien: Covenant sequel finally makes way for the story left open in 2017. Now that David is back in the middle of things, the film can explore what happened after he commandeered the Covenant and what he hopes to build with the sleeping colonists and alien embryos. Scott’s obsession with David also hints that the next chapter could go even further into the dangers of artificial intelligence, while adding to the darker mythology set up by Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

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Are you excited to see where David’s story goes next in the Alien universe? Let us know in the comments.