Alien Prequel Now An Original Movie Titled ‘Prometheus’ With Noomi Rapace

Jan 14, 2011 by Rob Keyes 

Ridley Scott’s heavily speculated prequel(s) to ‘Alien’ is now an original sci-fi work titled ‘Prometheus,’ starring Noomi Rapace. Does it take place in the Alien universe?

Breaking News: Twentieth Century Fox just sent out the most significant and unexpected update regarding Ridley Scott’s long-awaited Alien prequel. As it turns out, it’s no longer a prequel, sequel or any other sort of Alien franchise installment. Instead, Ridley Scott’s next major sci-fi project will be an original flick titled Prometheus.

Many actors have been rumored to be contending for a lead role in Scott’s Alien prequel but with the official announcement of the film’s title, and its confirmed release date, growing star Noomi Rapace has signed to star as one of the five main characters of Prometheus.

A literal buzz topic on the interwebs, Rapace has quickly earned well-deserved fame and attention for her critically acclaimed performance as the star of the original adaptation of The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo. Rapace has been sought for many starring roles in Hollywood ever since, and was previously reported as a leading candidate for the part in this film.

As for how the new film idea came about, screenwriter Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) had originally penned the prequel’s script, working with Scott. Since then, Damon Lindelof (Lost) has been working with him to reshape the screenplay into an original work. Lindelof had this to say about working with his idol on the project:

“In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley’s vision was for this movie. It’s daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true.”

As for what this film will be about, Scott explains that his imagination allowed him to get creative with the bigger picture of the Alien mythology, seemingly hinting that this may be some sort of spin-off.

“While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of ‘Alien’s’ DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.”

This does confirm that the film is not titled “Paradise” as previously rumored and what we found out from the studio about it being only one film, instead of two.

Details on what the story will be about and what Alien elements will or will not be used are under lock and key, but with the press release also came the release date for Prometheus which is officially scheduled to hit theaters March 9, 2012.

Are you happy, confused or disappointed that Prometheus will not be a prequel to Alien?

Tell us your thoughts on this through Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

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New ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ Trailer Brings The Alien Onslaught

One of the most anticipated films of the year, and another entry to the quickly expanding alien invasion genre, is that of Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles. Mixing elements of District 9 and Black Hawk Down, but playing with a much larger scale battlefield, Battle: Los Angeles is set to take moviegoers to the front lines of a key location during the world invasion.

The film has seen two trailers and numerous posters, reminiscing on real life UFO sightings throughout history, but each has only shown slight reveals of the aliens and their tech, leaving the rest to your imagination. As refreshing as it’s been to have not been shown all in a theatrical movie trailer, the third Battle: Los Angeles trailer has just released and it presents a whole new look at the film and what it entails.

The latest Battle: Los Angeles trailer focuses on the action and horror as we get up close and personal during the intense and action-heavy beginning of the alien onslaught. We also finally get some decent screentime for the film’s star, Aaron Eckhart. Watch and enjoy:

I am completely sold on this movie. While there are quite a few shots from previous trailers and footage, there is a lot of new content in this teaser. What really works for Battle: Los Angeles is how grounded in reality it is. Even in this particular trailer, almost the entire first minute follows the characters enjoying everyday life until that first scene of the strange “meteors” hitting the battleship. The impact of that hit emanates into the feeling of anxiety watching the events unfold.

The film takes place in Los Angeles as we spend our time with a platoon of Marines fighting for survival, but in the background the aliens are attacking locations all over the planet, hence the international title of the movie being World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles (franchise alert!). The most interesting new footage unveiled with this trailer is by far the large vehicle coming out of the ground at the end, which looks quite similar to the alien mothership from District 9. That should cause some problems for the characters played by Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Lucas Till and co.

Ready to be colonized? I’m cheering for the aliens.

Share your thoughts in the comments and with us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant.

Battle: Los Angeles invades theaters on March 11, 2011.

Source: Yahoo! Movies

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Charlize Theron Not Joining ‘J. Edgar’; Possibly Starring in ‘Alien’ Prequel

Things change fast in the world of movie news – just ask Charlize Theron. One day she’s reportedly all but set to play Leonardo DiCaprio’s lifelong secretary in J. Edgar; the next brings words that the blonde bombshell could be duking it out with slimy extraterrestrial killing machines in the Alien prequel instead.

The only official news for the time being is that Theron won’t take on the role of J. Edgar Hoover’s devoted assistant, Helen Gandy, in Clint Eastwood’s biopic about the FBI founder. What her next project will be, however, is not clear.

Theron is definitely out of the running to join J. Edgar, which recently added Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick to its cast as Agent Smith (no Matrix jokes, please). Deadline claims that Eastwood is now considering actresses Naomi Watts (Fair Game) and Amy Adams (The Fighter) as possibilities to play Miss Gandy, instead. Theron, meanwhile, is reportedly in the process of signing on for Universal’s new version of Snow White, in which she would appear as the evil queen.

Here’s where it gets tricky; Vulture is now reporting that 20th Century Fox had the role of Elizabeth Shaw (the female protagonist of Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel) rewritten and expanded to accommodate someone of Theron’s stature. The rumor is that a new version of the script will be sent to Theron later this week and only after that will the actress decide for certain what her next role will be.

Noomi Rapace of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo fame reportedly remains Scott’s top choice to play the attractive but hard-edged lead of his sci-fi prequel – and given Rapace’s fierce portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, she seems like a perfect fit for the part. If Scott has his way, the costly CGI project will apparently revolve around a multi-cultural space crew that could feature name actors like Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and/or Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) – however, Fox is reportedly concerned about production costs and wants a better-known name than Rapace to headline the film.

Scott reportedly still wants Rapace for his 'Alien' prequel.

To reiterate: the only concrete bit of news at the time being is that Theron won’t be starring in the Hoover biopic – everything else is essentially RUMOR and should be taken as so. There have been rumblings in the past about Fox delaying the Alien prequels (back when it was believed there would be two movies) and the studio having concerns about the budget for the entire project. Remember also that Scott is a highly respected, Oscar-nominated filmmaker with a healthy number of blockbusters under his belt – so he does have a fair amount of influence with respect to the casting of his Alien prequel.

Both Theron and Rapace are excellent actresses and either could make for an engaging lead in Scott’s latest (and presumably 3D) sci-fi venture, which will feature new work by Oscar-winning sculptor/set designer H.R. Giger as well. Production on the Alien prequel looks to get underway later this year, so expect an official statement about the film’s cast in the relatively near future. J. Edgar, meanwhile, will begin shooting next month and should reach theaters by late 2011.

Source: Deadline, Vulture

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Grabbers – Alien Monsters Meet Drunken Irishmen

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, Sharktopus, The Squid and the Whale – people everywhere love nothing better than a movie whose main villain is an eight-armed suction cup-covered sea creature from the deepest parts of the ocean’s recesses (OK, The Squid and the Whale is a stretch).

Variety is now reporting that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has recently bought the UK rights to the upcoming Irish horror-comedy Grabbers.

The movie, which recently began filming in Belfast and Donegal, is directed by independent filmmaker Jon Wright and was written by Kevin Lehane.  Special FX house Nvizible – whose most recent work can be seen in the films Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Clash of the Titans – has signed on to work on the digital creature effects for Grabbers.

While the title conjures memories of the cult-favorite Tremors (anyone remember the video game Graboids?), the story for Grabbers is unique and sounds completely hilarious. Check out the synopsis and first poster below:

Ciarán O’Shea, the handsome though washed up policeman of sleepy Erin Island, has a daily routine consisting mainly of hanging out at the pub with the local drunks and various other charmingly eccentric characters. But his day is about to go horribly wrong.

Teamed up with the unwanted help of Lisa – an uptight workaholic policewoman from the Irish mainland – they suddenly find themselves dealing with dead whales, decapitated fishermen and weird alien creatures or “grabbers”. Like a giant squid with tentacles, fanged jaws and a three-foot barbed tongue, they’re making mincemeat of the locals.

Faced with another imminent attack, O’Shea and Lisa figure out that the only person to survive the last onslaught only did so because he was so drunk his blood was literally toxic to the monsters. So there is only one thing for it: They have to get the entire village as drunk as possible in order to survive the night … a task that the villagers apply themselves to with gusto.

But one person must remain sober so for the first time in years O’Shea has to face up to things without a drink. When things don’t go to plan, an extremely drunk Lisa and a very sober O’Shea have to reconcile their differences and somehow save the day.

Grabbers stars Richard Coyle (Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time) , Bronagh Gallagher (Sherlock Holmes), Russell Tovey, Stuart Graham, Jonathan Ryan (The Tudors) and Roz McCutcheon.

So to recap – when an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive…hilarity ensues. Surely I can’t be the only person looking forward to seeing Grabbers on the big screen? Sadly, U.S. audiences may have to wait for it on DVD or NetFlix Instant Que because Sony has only secured the UK rights.

I think the tagline for the movie sums everything up quite nicely – “In 1759 Ireland invented the pint. In 2012 it’ll save their lives.” If Grabbers turns out as fun to watch as it sounds in concept, then the film will join the ranks of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead as one of the great horror/comedies in recent cinema history.

Grabbers makes you down a fifth to stay alive in 2012.

Follow us on Twitter for TV and Movie News @Walwus and @ScreenRant

Source: Variety

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‘Alien’ Prequel Space Jockey Concept Art Revealed?

Script Flags was sent some sketches of what are allegedly “The Space Jockeys,” and extraterrestrial race that will be featured in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien prequels.

Let me be clear upfront: there is no confirmation that this artwork is the official concept artwork being used by Ridley Scott and the other Alien filmmakers. That said, it is certainly worth a look.

For those who aren’t experts on the Alien franchise, “The Space Jockeys” are a mysterious alien race that appeared in Ridley Scott’s original Alien film. The Jockey (shown above) was actually an alien corpse on a crashed ship that Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) crew first encountered on the planet LV-426. On that same crashed vessel, Ripley’s team discovered eggs housing the face-grabbing parasites that give birth to the dreaded titular aliens.

Take a look at the suppossed Space Jockey concept art below:

CLICK FOR A LARGER IMAGE

We know that The Space Jockeys are large in size, and this suppossed concept art does in fact resemble the corpse pictured in the header image up top, which is taken from the original Alien film. So while this art isn’t confirmed to be official, it is interesting nonetheless – I would be happy to see these designs brought to life onscreen.

Previous reports about the story for the two-part Alien prequel have stated that the film will focus on the backstory of The Space Jockeys (and specifically the Jockey seen crash-landed in the first Alien film), as well as their relationship to acid-blooded alien species.

There will also have a human component – as recent Alien casting rumors have indicated. Some early (and admittedly dubious) rumors have already asserted that the prequels will deal with human/Space Jockey relations. If that’s true – if human actors and Space Jockey creatures will be sharing a lot of scenes in the film -  the designs for the Jockeys needs to be fairly impeccable, able to look eerie and alien yet relatable and expressive at the same time.

I for one am hoping that they use practical makeup/animatronic effects to bring the Jockeys to life; no need to go the CGI route, really.

What do you think of the artwork? Could it be official?

The Alien prequels are slated to be in theaters sometime in 2011. However, seeing as how they have yet to even cast a lead actor, we’ll see if they meet that deadline.

Source: Script Flags

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‘Taken’ Director Attached to Alien Invasion Film ‘Earth Defense Force’

Have you ever noticed how certain types of movies tend to come out at the same time (such as Dante’s Peak and Volcano or Armageddon and Deep Impact)? This isn’t a fluke. Hollywood filmmaking is about making money first and foremost, which is why studios release similar films to try and anticipate popular trends.

Currently, the trend that seems to be sweeping Hollywood is alien invasion. Not including Skyline, which is in theaters now, or the canceled Roland Emmerich film The Zone, next year will see multiple alien invasion movies, including Cowboys & Aliens, Battle: Los Angeles, and Battleship. Now, we can add one more alien invasion film to that list: Earth Defense Force, or EDF.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Pierre Morel (Taken) is attached to direct the movie, which, as the name implies, focuses on an effort to protect Earth from an invading force of alien attackers. The film is being produced by Sam Raimi and Bill Block and will be distributed by Warner Bros.

THR writes that Morel turned his attention to EDF after Universal passed on his pitch for Ouija. Check below for a brief (and we mean brief) description of the project.

“EDF is set after three alien fighters attack the planet, leaving countries humiliated. The governments of Earth then race to create a space fighting force in preparation for a second attack by an approaching alien horde.”

There’s nothing wrong with a good sci-fi movie, and Pierre Morel is a more than competent director, so on the surface this should be good news. However, something just doesn’t sit right with the fact that this is yet another alien invasion movie. There’s also the fact that EDF‘s plot sounds a lot like Year 12 and/or Falling Skies, two upcoming projects (a movie and TV show, respectively) set in the aftermath of an alien invasion.

Will audiences eventually tire of seeing aliens destroy the world’s major cities? Maybe, maybe not. In either case, this news doesn’t inspire much confidence that Hollywood will be abandoning this trend anytime soon.

Perhaps I’m being cynical, though. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, I still enjoy Independence Day when it’s on, and that may be the most formulaic of all modern invasion movies. What do you think of a Pierre Morel-directed alien invasion film?

Source: THR

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The Asylum Mimics an Alien Invasion in ‘Battle of Los Angeles’

If you are a fan of the SyFy channel and cheesy sci-fi films, then you have no doubt been subjected to at least one film produced by The Asylum.

Outside of the pornography industry, The Asylum studios have probably produced more direct-to-video films than any other studio in existence. Since 1992, they have produced and distributed 190 films and NONE of them have ever seen the inside of a movie theater on opening day. Yet, just about every sci-fi movie fan has heard of them and watched at least one Asylum film.

Whenever a major studio is preparing to release a huge blockbuster film, The Asylum will inevitably beat them to the punch with their own “mock-buster” – a movie that is similar in style, story and even title, yet different enough to keep them out of legal trouble.  The copycat studio now has their sights set on the upcoming alien invasion flick Battle: Los Angeles with their own offering – direct-to-video of course – Battle of Los Angeles.

Like most of their previous films, Battle of Los Angeles will star a couple of former big name entertainers who audiences thought had dropped off the map. In Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus it was Lorenzo Lamas (Snake Eater) and Debbi Gibson. In Transmorphers: Fall of Man it was Bruce Boxleitner (TRON: Legacy) and in The Day the Earth Stopped is was Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club).

For Battle of Los Angeles director Mark Atkins (Dragonquest) was able to procure the acting talents of Nia Peeples and Kel Mitchell. Peeples can usually be seen acting overly dramatic in the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, while most people will remember Mitchell as one half of the once popular Nickelodeon show Kenan & Kel. The film also stars Asylum film constant Stephen Blackehart, who can also be seen next year in James Gunn’s Super.

The synopsis for Battle of Los Angeles differs slightly from Battle: Los Angeles:

Battle of Los Angeles takes place in present day, almost 70 years after the failed attack on Earth in February 1942. Karla (Nia Peeples) is an officer with a super secret fighting force created to combat the threat of alien invasion. Lt. Tyler Laughlin (Kel Mitchell) is an Air National Guardsman who is reluctantly recruited to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

No trailer for Battle of Los Angeles has been released, but there are several production stills to look at below. You can see the rest on The Asylum’s official Flickr stream:

I certainly do not have high hopes that Battle of Los Angeles is going to be a very “good” film but I will still be in front of my TV watching every minute of it with my buddies. To maximize your enjoyment while watching a film made by The Asylum, it is highly recommended to bring along a group of friends.

Battle of Los Angeles comes to video and VOD February 22nd, 2011.

Follow us on Twitter @Walwus and @ScreenRant

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Alien Invasion Pic ‘Year 12′ Snags A Director

Extraterrestrials seem desperate to conquer the tiny speck of rock in the universe that we call Earth and they’ll be at it again in the flick Year 12, which now has a director in former photographer Fredrik Bond.

What separates Year 12 from this past weekend’s alien invasion pic, Skyline, and the upcoming Battle: Los Angeles, as well as the comic book flick Cowboys & Aliens, is that the former takes place more than a decade after the non-Earthlings declare war against humanity.

Edward Ricourt penned the spec script for Year 12, which The Wrap reports as being set twelve years after an alien invasion of Earth. The plot of the film itself revolves around “an underwater uranium miner who is recruited by the human resistance to smuggle uranium in his blood so they can use it to blow up the alien mothership.” Give the humans in Year 12 credit – that does sound like more of a fail-safe plan than uploading a PC virus into the extraterrestrials’ communications network, in the hopes that they haven’t installed AVG (a la Independence Day).

The sci-fi action flick is being produced by Joe Roth, the man behind Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, as well as the upcoming fairy tale retelling, Snow White and the Huntsman. Bond is also attached to direct an English-language version of the cult Korean flick, The Host, though we’ll be crossing our fingers in the hopes that that remake won’t come to pass.

Aliens drastically reduce the value of L.A. real estate in 'Skyline'.

With so many upcoming movies about humans doing battle with otherworldly beings due to arrive over the next year, moviegoers might be quite tired of seeing flying saucers lay waste to civilization by the time Year 12 hits theaters. Add to that the fact that Bond is a novice at helming feature films and it’s difficult to not suspect that this will be one alien invasion flick that comes and goes with little fanfare.

The premise for Year 12 is interesting since it takes place in a post-invasion world where humans must struggle to survive amidst a devastated landscape (as opposed to being another run-of-the-mill “aliens invade/people fight back” flick). Perhaps the film will focus in part on the nature of human existence in a world laid to ruin by monsters, a la The Walking Dead?

Do you think the premise for Year 12 has potential? Sound off in the comments section below.

Source: The Wrap

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