Though he’s currently focused on getting “All The Money In The World” out on time, Ridley Scott always has his biggest claim to fame, the “Alien” series, on his mind. And while his most recent installment of “Alien: Covenant” provided all the face-hugging, chest-bursting madness fans could handle as the Xenomorphs’ origins were revealed, Scott thinks that it may be time to move on from the deadly extra-terrestrials.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Scott says he’s planning to do another “Alien” film, but with a much different approach. He hints that the next installment may focus on another topic that his sci-fi films have frequently explored: artificial intelligence.
“People say, ‘You need more alien, you need more face pulling, need more chest bursting,’ so I put a lot of that in ‘Covenant’ and it fitted nicely. But I think if you go again you need to start finding another solution that’s more interesting. I think AI is becoming much more dangerous and therefore more interesting.”
Why does he think AI is getting dangerous? Because he saw an experiment on Facebook where two androids began communicating with each other in a way humans couldn’t understand.
“It already invented a f–ing language!” he exclaimed. “And they couldn’t decipher what the language was so they had to switch them off. What was said and where’s it gone? They could have already implemented something we don’t know.”
Scott’s fans know that sentient AI make up the cornerstone of some of the director’s most famous movies. “Blade Runner” uses artificially made humans, or Replicants, to explore the nature of humanity, and the “Alien” films have featured famous androids like Ian Holm’s Ash, Lance Henriksen’s Bishop, and most recently, Michael Fassbender’s twin androids David and Walter. David has become the core of Scott’s recent return to “Alien,” so don’t be surprised if he or others like him take center stage when Scott goes back to outer space.
In the meantime, you can watch Scott’s next film, “All The Money In The World,” in theaters Dec. 22.
Franchise Fatigue Tracker: Which 2017 Summer Blockbusters Are Getting Sequels? (Photos)
Last summer, not a single summer blockbuster sequel was about to outperform its predecessors at the box office. This year, the summer box office did even worse, but the state of the sequel was more of a mixed bag. Let's look at which summer movies this year will return in the future, and which ones might have reached their end.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”: $862 Million ($389 Domestic)
Previous installment: “Guardians of the Galaxy”: $773 Million ($333 Million Domestic)
Sequel?: YES. “Vol. 3” was announced two weeks before the film’s release, and the Guardians will be a part of next year’s “Avengers: Infinity War.”
"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword": $146 Million ($39 Million Worldwide)
Previous Installment: N/A
Sequel?: NO: "King Arthur" was weaved as an origin tale for possible future Arthurian tales, but it ended up being one of this summer's biggest bombs, as it failed to recoup its $175 million budget.
“Alien: Covenant”: $232 million ($74 million domestic)
Previous Installment: “Prometheus” $403 million ($126 million)
Sequel?: JURY’S OUT: Director Ridley Scott has said in interviews that he has plans for more “Alien” films, but after “Covenant” made 43 percent less than “Prometheus,” 20th Century Fox has not announced another installment.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” $789 Million ($171 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: “On Stranger Tides: $1.04 Billion ($241 Million Domestic)
Sequel?: JURY’S OUT: “Pirates 5” is by far the weakest grossing of the “Pirates” sequels, yet a post-credits scene teased a sixth. It comes down to whether Johnny Depp and the rest of the cast are game for another voyage, and whether Disney thinks the franchise’s growing interest in China outweighs its rapidly falling domestic numbers.
“Baywatch”: $177 Million ($58 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: N/A
Sequel?: UNLIKELY: Producer Beau Flynn said a sequel was being discussed, but that was before “Baywatch” contributed to the worst Memorial Day weekend box office since 1998 and required international markets to save it from “bomb” status.
“Wonder Woman” $806 Million ($406 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: N/A
Sequel?: YES: Of course the movie of the summer was going to get a sequel. “Wonder Woman 2” was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con for a December 2019 release, and director Patty Jenkins is said to be close to a deal to return.
“Cars 3” $324 Million ($149 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: “Cars 2”: $562 Million ($191 Million Domestic)
Sequel?: PROBABLY: Even though “Cars 3” didn’t blow the box office away, it’s still a merchandising behemoth for Disney. Don’t be surprised if Pixar announces a “Cars 4” sometime in the future to introduce new characters…and new toys.
“Transformers: The Last Knight” $603 Million ($130 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: “Age of Extinction” $1.1 billion ($245 Million)
Sequel?: YES: A Bumblebee spinoff and “Transformers 6” are slated to roll out over the next two years, but after “The Last Knight” took a huge fall from its predecessors, it’s clear that this franchise has lost its critic-proof status. Paramount reported a budget of $217 million for this film. Don’t expect that for the next one.
“Despicable Me 3” $971 Million ($254 Million Domestic)
Previous Installments: “Despicable Me 2” $970 Million ($368 Million Domestic) and “Minions” $1.15 Billion ($336 Million Domestic)
Sequel?: YES: With a combined $3.5 Billion grossed between four films, “Despicable Me” is now the highest grossing animated franchise of all-time. That should continue with “Minions 2,” which is coming out in July 2020.
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” $737 Million ($318 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” $708 Million ($202 Million Domestic)
SEQUEL?: YES: A 2019 sequel is on the way, along with spinoffs “Venom” and “Silver and Black.” Now that Spidey has new life as a high schooler, Sony is going to take advantage of it for all it’s worth.
“War for the Planet of the Apes” $347 Million ($141 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” $710 Million ($208 Million Domestic)
SEQUEL?: JURY’S OUT: While critically acclaimed and managing to both provide a satisfying conclusion and leave room open for a fourth film, “War” has been the weakest of the three reboot “Planet of the Apes” films at the box office. With director Matt Reeves moving to WB to work on the next Batman film, Fox will likely need to find a new director if they want to green light a fourth “Apes” film that continues the story after Caesar’s role in it ends.
“Girls Trip” $120 Million ($108 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: N/A
SEQUEL?: PROBABLY: “Girls Trip” is the only comedy with over $100 million, and it only cost $19 million to make. Stars Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish have said they would gladly make a sequel, so all it needs is the ok from Universal.
"The Dark Tower" $88 Million ($45 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: N/A
SEQUEL?: UNLIKELY: With poor reviews and tepid numbers, a "Dark Tower" sequel is unlikely. But MRC is pushing forward with a TV series that will continue the story.
“Annabelle: Creation”: $215 Million ($78 Million Domestic)
Previous Installment: “Annabelle” $256 Million ($84 Million Domestic) and “The Conjuring 2” $320 Million ($102 Million)
SEQUEL?: PROBABLY: This “Annabelle” prequel has pushed the “Conjuring” universe past $1 billion in combined grosses. Horror franchises always produce sequels until the wheels fall off, and that isn’t coming anytime soon for this creepy doll.
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”Wonder Woman“ will definitely get a sequel. ”Alien: Covenant“? Jury’s still out.
Last summer, not a single summer blockbuster sequel was about to outperform its predecessors at the box office. This year, the summer box office did even worse, but the state of the sequel was more of a mixed bag. Let's look at which summer movies this year will return in the future, and which ones might have reached their end.
