Legendary director Ridley Scott has signaled his departure from the Alien franchise, stating, "I think I've done all I can."
In a recent interview with ScreenRant, the 87-year-old English filmmaker—who launched the series with 1979's groundbreaking sci-fi horror Alien and later revived it with 2012's Prometheus—remarked, "At this point, I believe my role is complete, and I simply hope the story continues to evolve."
Scott has entrusted the Alien universe to capable successors, including Fede Álvarez's well-received Alien: Romulus and Noah Hawley's upcoming FX series Alien: Earth. Alien: Romulus performed strongly enough to warrant a sequel already in development. Meanwhile, fans can spot several Alien crossover references in the forthcoming Predator: Badlands.
During the same discussion, Scott reflected on the franchise's decline following 1997's Alien: Resurrection and how that motivated him to reinvigorate the series with Prometheus. He continued the story with 2017's Alien: Covenant, which remained the last mainline film until last year's Alien: Romulus.
"After the fourth installment, I felt the energy had faded," he admitted. "I thought my film held up well, and James Cameron's sequel was solid, but the others didn't quite hit the mark. I thought, 'This can't be the end of a franchise that should stand alongside giants like Star Trek or Star Wars,' which I find truly phenomenal."
The Alien Films in Chronological Order
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He continued, "Years later, I decided it was time to bring it back, so we built Prometheus from the ground up—starting with a blank page. Damon Lindelof and I worked together to shape the story."
"The response was immediate and positive. Audiences were clearly eager for more. I knew it had to take off. Since no one else stepped up, I returned with Alien: Covenant, and that also resonated. Now, I feel my part is done, and I hope the journey continues."
Although Scott has stepped back from directing future Alien installments, he served as a producer on Alien: Romulus and is an executive producer on Alien: Earth through his Scott Free production company. The first full trailer for Alien: Earth has already given fans plenty to speculate about.
