Just days after the one-year anniversary of Ridley Scott's "Prometheus," 20th Century Fox and Scott Free are turning to relative newcomer Jack Paglen ("Transcendence") to write the highly-anticipated sequel "Prometheus 2," TheWrap has learned.
Paglen has been rumored for the coveted gig for several weeks, though it appears that Scott has now signed off on his take and negotiations will quickly lead to a deal, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.
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Designed as a prequel of sorts to Scott's 1979 hit "Alien," "Prometheus" was originally written by Jon Spaihts before Damon Lindelof took over and heavily rewrote the script. Though it earned Lindelof considerable scorn across the globe from fanboys with high expectations, "Prometheus" grossed $403 million worldwide on a reported production budget of $130 million.
The original starred Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, a God-fearing archaeologist tasked with finding the Engineers, an alien race that served as the architects of humanity. Michael Fassbender co-starred as an android named David whose remains, by the end of the film, help sole human survivor Shaw launch an Engineer spacecraft bound for their home planet. The last shot featured an alien creature bursting out of an Engineer's chest, and a sequel could incorporate that terrifying development.
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Should Fox move forward with "Prometheus 2," Rapace and Fassbender would likely return to reprise their roles, though it remains unclear what creative direction a sequel would take.
ICM Partners represents Paglen, whose script for "Transcendence" drew the attention of Christopher Nolan's longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister, who will be making his directorial debut. Nolan is producing the sci-fi movie, which stars Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Kate Mara.