Over a decade after its debut, the divisiveAlienprequelPrometheusis quietly becoming one of the franchise’s most important outings. Despite being so closely linked to the genre,Ridley Scott spent 30 years away from sci-fi betweenBlade RunnerandPrometheus. Of course, having directed the first entry intheAlienmovie franchiseandBlade Runnerwas enough to certify him as an icon of the genre. Scott was plenty busy in the decades between hisAlienentries, too, but there was much rejoicing when he signed on for 2012’sPrometheus.
Cut to 13 years later, andPrometheusis easily the most divisive outing. The film is ambitious, visually lush, and fronted by a fantastic Michael Fassbender performance; it’s also saddled with unlikable characters, baffling storytelling choices, and a portentous tone. Still,the Ridley Scott moviecan be credited with expanding the lore of the series in intriguing ways, including pulling back the curtain on the Engineers and where the Xenomorphs themselves came from.
Prometheus Was A Strange Addition To The Alien Franchise When It Came Out
Confusion over its Alien links didn’t help
When Scott first signed up forPrometheus, it was a straightforward prequel titledAlien: Engineers. As the screenplay was developed further, it became more of a standalone entry - and soon, there was confusion over how closely tied the film actually was toAlien. The truth is, as he later admitted in interviews (like thisYahoo!chat),Scott wasn’t terribly interested in making a direct sequel or reviving the Xenomorph, stating plainly, “The beast is done. Cooked."
13 Years Later, Prometheus’ Biggest Mystery Remains Unsolved After The Sequel Totally Forgot About It
The sequel to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, completely forgot about the huge mystery set up in the horror movie’s final moments.
Instead,Prometheusis an exploration of creator vs created and the need to find answers no matter the cost. If anything,Scott views Fassbender’s android David as the “Alien” of the movie, a being created to be superior to his creatorsand growing to despise them for their hatred of what they’ve made.Prometheusalso introducedthe Engineers' Black Goo, a primordial substance that can rewrite the DNA of any living being - often with disastrous consequences.
Audiences expecting a terrifying sci-fi horror epic from Scott weren’t sure what to make ofPrometheus. It had a fantastic cast (including Idris Elba, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce) and effective horror beats,but the prequel’s heady mix of philosophical themes with dumb B-movie tropes made it feel like the black sheep of theAliensaga. Scott himself would attempt to merge the tones of the original series andPrometheuswith 2017’sAlien: Covenant,though the result was a sequel that didn’t fully satisfy either goal.
Despite Its Controversies, Prometheus Was A Box Office Success And Remains Popular
Audiences were ready for Alien to return in 2012
It should be remembered that theseries had fallen on hard times following the franchise nadir ofAlien vs Predator: Requiemin 2007. The series had slowly morphed into horror junk, so Scott returning to the series he helped kick off felt like the perfect solution. Devotees were expecting a new sci-fi classic, and 20th Century Fox did an excellent job of hyping the prequel up via trailers and pre-release trailers.Prometheuswent on to gross over $402 million worldwide(viaThe Numbers), despite the mixed word of mouth.
The original reason Guy Pearce was cast as the 103-year-old Peter Weyland was due to the screenplay originally featuring a sequence with a younger Weyland; this scene was later cut before it was filmed.
The film has undeniably split opinions within theAlienfanbase, but despite its faults,Prometheushas plenty of admirers. It’s rare to get a sci-fi film of such size and scope on the big screen - and one that asks surprisingly deep questions. Another reason it’s stuck around is the amount of debate, conversation and fan theories it inspired.From abandoned concepts like the reveal Jesus Christ was an Engineer to theorizing on the reason they wanted to wipe out humanity,Prometheushas inspired many an inflamed Reddit threadover the years.
It’s a flawed movie with some fascinating ideas behind it, and it can be more fun to unpick the subtext and world-building than to engage with the story. That’s another reason theAlienprequel tends to rank high on streaming platforms.There’s a world wherePrometheus 2would have led the series in a totally different direction, but its evolution intoCovenant- and that sequel’s critical and commercial underperformance - killed the prequel franchise before Scott could wrap it up.
Alien Can’t Seem To Move Away From Prometheus For Some Reason
Scott had plans for at least two more prequels that would eventually lead into 1979’sAlien, butCovenant’slackluster showing killed those plans. When the series was revived once again with 2024’sAlien: Romulus, it was assumed the new film would wipe the slate clean. It was designed to return the property to its horror roots and strip back the convoluted mythology and cosmic horror elements of Scott’s prequels. Imagine everybody’s surprise whenRomulusnot only made reference toPrometheus, but made the black goo a key part of the story.
The black goo is such a great plot device it’s not a big surprise it was repurposed elsewhere, but it was lovely to see Prometheus get such a major shoutout…
The goo is also responsible forAlien: Romulus' horrifying Offspring, which looks like a fusion between a human being, an Engineer and a Xenomorph.The black goo is such a great plot device it’s not a big surprise it was repurposed elsewhere, but it was lovely to seePrometheusget such a major shoutout. The positive response to this subplot suggests audiences have come around toPrometheus- and that a potentialRomulussequel could tie into Scott’s prequels more directly.
Alien’s Upcoming TV Show Might Change The Way We See Prometheus
Will Earth have any Prometheus or Covenant connections?
It’s a busy period for the franchise, which is headed to television for the first time withAlien: Earth. Created byFargoshowrunner Noah Hawley, the spinoff will live up to its title and see the titular star beasts crashland on Earth and a team of soldiers having to deal with the mess. Hawley has kept his cards close to the chest aboutAlien: Earth, so plot details are still mysterious. What’s interesting to note is thatthe FX show takes place in 2120, which is 27 years after Weyland’sPrometheusexpedition and 16 years afterCovenant.
In a conversation withKCRW, Hawley stated the mythology introduced in Scott’s prequels was “just inherently less useful to me.” This suggests the show won’t be pulling much from the prequel duology, butconsideringAlien: Earthtakes place a couple of years before Scott’s original film, maybe David had something to do with sending the ship that brings his “perfect” creatures to the planet. There are likely going to be plenty of surprises, so a Michael Fassbender cameo or mention of the “Prometheus” mission wouldn’t be a huge reach.
It may even reframePrometheusorCovenantin some way or provide some kind of closure to that storyline. The prequel has had quite a journey since it arrived in 2012, and for better or worse, it pushed theAlienseries into bold directions.
Prometheus
Cast
Prometheus, released in 2012, is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a team of explorers as they uncover clues about humanity’s origins, embarking on a perilous interstellar expedition where they confront formidable challenges to secure the future of mankind.
Alien
The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity’s encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.
