Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 is on Hold

Neill Blomkamp says that his Alien 5 is “holding” pending 20th Century Fox’s plans for Ridley Scott’s Alien: Paradise Lost

As has been previously speculated, 20th Century Fox‘s plans for Neill Blomkamp‘s proposed big screen foray into their Alien universe appear to be on hold. In fact, “holding” and “pending” are the terms Neill Blomkamp himself used in a Tweet the filmmaker published earlier tonight:

alien is kinda holding/ pending prometheus 2. So I shall be working on other things… as much as I love the xeno- and Lt ripley

— Иeill BlomkΛmp (@NeillBlomkamp) October 30, 2015

Ridley Scott’s recently-announced Alien: Paradise Lost is the Prometheus sequel to which Neill Blomkamp refers. That film is about to begin production in Australia for a December 31, 2017 release. Scott has previously suggested that it may be followed by additional sequels which could theoretically threaten to delay Neill Blomkamp’s Alien project indefinitely.

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that Neill Blomkamp’s project will ever come to fruition, although Blomkamp himself does not seem to have given up hope. There’s also the potential return of Sigourney Weaver to consider as Blomkamp has continually suggested that Ellen Ripley is an important character in the story of his film.

“[Sigourney] knows about it,” Blomkamp told ComingSoon.net in February, “and part of it was just inspired by speaking to her on set when we were filming ‘Chappie,’ and getting her thoughts on ‘Alien’ and what she thought of the movies that came after ‘Aliens’ and what she felt about Ripley and what was incomplete for her about Ripley. There was so much fuel in what she was telling me.”

How do you feel about the balance between Alien: Paradise Lost and Neill Blomkamp’s Alien sequel? Would you prefer one to the other, both or neither? Let us know in the comments below!