For fans who have been wondering whether the story that began with Prometheus and continued through Alien: Covenant would ever get another chapter, Ridley Scott just gave us something we have been waiting a long time to hear: the next Alien prequel is still in development.
The update came during Scott’s recent conversation with the Los Angeles Times while promoting his latest film, The Dog Stars. Buried among discussions about his career, Treasure Island, artificial intelligence and his future projects was a rather important piece of information for Alien fans. Scott confirmed that the third prequel is in the works and, more importantly, revealed that the story will return to Michael Fassbender’s David.
According to Scott, the film will follow David as he creates what the director described as a “brave new world for himself.” That is about as ominous as you would expect from the man who gave us the original Alien.
And if you remember where Alien: Covenant left David, that phrase should immediately set off every alarm in your head.
The synthetic David escaped aboard the Covenant after murdering the surviving colonists and taking control of the ship. With thousands of potential human hosts aboard and access to the Engineers’ technology, the ending left the character in a particularly disturbing position. David was no longer simply an android questioning humanity. He had become an active threat with the resources to create something entirely his own.
Scott’s latest comments suggest that this unresolved storyline remains the foundation for the next installment.
There is also a rather fascinating connection between David and the director’s current thoughts about artificial intelligence. Speaking with the Times, Scott described David as a malfunctioning AI and discussed his belief that artificial intelligence could eventually surpass human intelligence and creativity. He compared an AI going off course to a bomb, a particularly fitting description when discussing the creator of the Xenomorphs.
That brings us to something worth clearing up, because the Alien franchise has taken several different paths since Covenant.
Scott directed both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, making him the creative force behind the prequel storyline. He did not direct Alien: Romulus, which was directed by Fede Álvarez. Scott served as a producer on that film alongside Walter Hill and Michael Pruss.
The same distinction matters when talking about Alien: Earth. Scott was involved with the series as an executive producer, but Noah Hawley created and directed the television project. Scott himself told the Los Angeles Times that he was more involved with Alien: Earth and called it “pretty damn good.”
So yes, Scott has remained connected to the franchise, but that is not the same thing as him sitting in the director’s chair.
There is something unfinished about the Prometheus and Covenant storyline that Romulus and Alien: Earth cannot resolve because neither was designed to finish it. Those projects expanded the Alien universe in their own directions, while David’s story has been sitting in suspended animation since 2017.
We have heard about this proposed sequel before, of course. Scott previously discussed continuing David’s story after Covenant, and there have been years of conflicting reports about scripts, development and whether the project would actually move forward. At various points, it appeared to be alive, dead, revived and then potentially abandoned altogether.
That is why this latest confirmation deserves some attention.
Scott is now saying the third prequel is in the works, rather than simply suggesting that he might return if someone comes up with an idea.
There is still one giant question hanging over everything: Will Ridley Scott actually direct it?
The Los Angeles Times report confirms the project is being developed, but Scott did not announce that he will direct the film. That distinction is important. The director has previously suggested that he may have done enough with the franchise, only to later leave the door open for another prequel if the right idea came along.
For now, we know the story is alive, David is at the center of it and Scott remains deeply interested in where the character could go next. And if the goal really is to follow David into the “brave new world” he promised himself, we have a pretty good idea what that could mean. The last time we saw David, he wasn’t looking for peace.
He was looking to become a god. Maybe this time, we’ll finally get to see what he built.