It's official. After initially distancing Prometheus from the Alien franchise, Ridley Scott has embraced his prequel and given it a sequel entitled Alien: Covenant, which may just bridge the gap leading to his original Alien franchise.
Details might be scarce at the moment, but consider this your one-stop shop (which will be updated as new info arrives) for cast, plot rumours and potential spoilers on the new Alien movie.
Related: Alien: Covenant review – Ridley Scott's monster has evolved into something beautiful
Alien: Covenant trailer: bloody terrifying
Because who doesn't want a Facehugger under their tree, the first Alien: Covenant trailer dropped on Christmas Day after a couple of tantalising teasers – and it's bloomin' terrifying, as you'd expect.
Soundtracked by the haunting strains of Aurora's 'Nature Boy' cover, the crew of the Covenant look like they're going to be up against it. And there are some familiar foes involved...
Alien: Covenant poster: slimier than you think!
The first poster has arrived giving us a look at a slightly terrifying and grossly slimy Xenomorph with only the word RUN and the release date (the new release date that is - more on this later).
This early poster seems to be setting out Alien: Covenant's stall early - it's going to feel like an Alien movie and it's going to be freakin' scary.
Alien: Covenant director: Ridley Scott is back in the director's chair
Despite arriving to a mixed reception from critics in 2012, Prometheus banked a hefty $400 million at the worldwide box office to all but guarantee a sequel.
Scott, who kick-started the Alien franchise way back in 1979, is directing Alien: Covenant following 2015's The Martian. Prometheus marked Scott's first sci-fi since 1983's Blade Runner - now he can't get enough of the genre.
"I thought I'd left science fiction for too long, that I had better climb back in. Prometheus was a great experience for me," he told Empire. "Chasing number two, we can start evolving the grand idea."
On the great director's 79th birthday (December 1 in case you're shopping for presents) a picture was revealed of Sir Ridley on set of Covenant with none other than the Space Jockey appearing behind him. This was the dead alien discovered by the crew of Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) ship the Nostromo in the first Alien film, who also reappeared in Prometheus.
Alien: Covenant cast – Michael Fassbender is back with a whole new crew
By the end of Prometheus most of the cast had bitten the dust in spectacular fashion (Charlize Theron, meet giant space donut), but two stars made it through to the end, namely Michael Fassbender's David and Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw.
Initially the film's official plot synopsis suggested that Dr Elizabeth Shaw wouldn't be returning. Scott seemingly confirmed the actress would not be in the sequel (and she's not credited in that first trailer), but she was spotted on the Australian set and has since been confirmed for the movie.
Fassbender is reprising his role as David but will also play another android with a whole body of his own called Walter (we spoke to Ridley Scott about why his name doesn't begin with an 'E'). Fassbender he's been teasing some major differences between the identical-looking robots.
Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) is on board as the film's new star. Her character has been named as Daniels and it's likely she'll be a member of the crew of the Covenant though not much else has been revealed.
Joining Waterston as new cast members are Billy Crudup – who gave us a few hints about working with Sir Ridley – as well as Danny McBride and Demián Bichir. Carmen Ejogo will be reuniting with her Fantastic Beasts co-star Waterston, too, and is promising that they both do "transformative things" in the film – we hope, for their sake, not in a stomach-bursting, body horror kind of transformation.
Two of the crew members are also the franchise's first gay characters – and they're a couple too.
And none other than James Franco will cameo as the Covenant's captain Branson.
Alien: Covenant plot – It's about the birth of mankind. Probably
The official synopsis reads:
"Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created in Alien with Alien: Covenant, the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began with Prometheus – and connects directly to Scott's 1979 seminal work of science fiction.
"Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the "synthetic" David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition."
It's been teased that David will journey to the home planet of the Engineers to find out about the creation of humanity and why they made those acid-spitting Xenomorphs. Were they created as their weapons? Is that where the crew of the Covenant discovers David?
"You've got to go back and find those Engineers and see what they are thinking," Scott told Deadline.
"If Engineers are the forerunners of us, and therefore were creators of life forms in places that were possible for biology to function, who created that? Where's the big boy? You think this was all an accident? I don't know. Even Stephen Hawking now says he's not sure. He no longer believes in the big bang."
So, just a tad ambitious then, Ridley?
At it looks like Scott's former denials that the Xenomorphs would be back was also a fib, after this video featuring a certain spindley hand appeared on Twitter, captioned 'where it all begins'.
Scott has said that the film will serve as a "joining up" of Prometheus and the original Alien films, and we may have finally learned exactly how the classic Xenomorphs came into being.
He also teased what Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw has been up to between Prometheus and Covenant. The prologue video below reveals her work with David after they escape on the Engineers' ship, although things aren't looking good for her in the trailers...
A heap of new footage that we were lucky enough to see recently revealed some more secrets of what might be going on here, including giving us a good look at Michael Fassbender's other Android Walter as we see The Covenant and its crew happen upon a new planet where they discover the alien race, including a new spikey spider-rabbit type version of the alien. Check out our full footage breakdown for more.
Alien: Covenant writer – Damon Lindelof isn't penning the screenplay
Lost mastermind Lindelof took over Prometheus screenwriting duties from Jon Spaihts, transforming his more traditional Alien story into an "original" sci-fi idea. So brutal was the fanboy backlash in the aftermath of Prometheus Lindelof has bailed on the sequel completely.
The new writers in Lindelof's place? Transcendence's Jack Paglen, plus Michael Green of Green Lantern infamy. Green is also the man behind the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, so despite having a superhero turkey on his CV, he's obviously someone Scott trusts with the keys to his two sci-fi kingdoms.
Scott's Gladiator writer John Logan also has a 're-written by' credit.
Alien: Covenant release date – it's coming next year
Filming on Alien: Covenant began in April 2016, the shoot is taking place in Australia and New Zealand, with space cowboy Danny McBride announcing in July that the movie had wrapped.
The film was originally going to be be released in UK and US cinemas on 4 August 2017 but - rejoice! - Fox has actually brought the date forward so now we'll be cowering in fear as early as May 19.
This places it right at the start of summer blockbuster season.
What about Neill Blomkamp's Alien movie?
If you're worried that Alien: Covenant means the end of the road for Neill Blomkamp's Sigourney Weaver-starring sequel then fear not – Scott says it'll still happen, but it's on hold until after his Prometheus follow-up.
"I'm producing it," Scott said of the Blomkamp film. "The design is for it to go out next, after this. It's more associated with Ripley, it's a completely different angle, it's more of a sequel. I'm coming in from the back end."
What's more, Blomkamp's movie will ignore both Alien3 and Alien: Resurrection,according to Sigourney Weaver.
