Sigourney Weaver Explains How Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Alien’ Sequel Fits Into Canon

It’s a pretty exciting time to be an “Alien” fan. Not only is Ridley Scott currently in production on “Alien: Covenant” (which, if we have our facts correct, is an “Prometheus” sequel/”Alien” prequel), but Neill Blomkamp’s slow-moving sequel continues to take shape with tantalizing tidbits from the cast and crew. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the 30th anniversary “Aliens” celebration set for Comic-Con this month, the one and only Sigourney Weaver confirmed an important detail about the continuity of Blomkamp’s fifth installment.

READ MORE: ‘Alien: Covenant’: New Set Photos Show Aftermath of an Intergalactic War Zone

“It’s just as if, you know, the path forks and one direction goes off to three and four and another direction goes off to Neill’s movie,” Weaver revealed, confirming that Blomkamp’s sequel actually won’t be a fifth installment at all and will serve as a direct sequel to James Cameron’s “Aliens.” After two acclaimed entries in the franchise, the series’ reputation and mythology plummeted with David Fincher’s “Alien 3” and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Alien Resurrection.” By side-stepping these sequels, Blomkamp and company will have the opportunity to build solely off of the best entries in the franchise.

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Colin Trevorrow did something similar recently with “Jurassic World.” The 2015 mega-blockbuster acted as a sequel to the Spielberg-direcited originals, completely skipping over the events of the widely dismissed “Jurassic Park III” as if they never happened. Following this method will give “District 9” and “Elysium” director Blomkamp more freedom with the story and with beloved characters like Ripley.

The director previously teased these intentions back in 2005 when he said, “My favorites are the first two movies. So I want to make a film that’s connected to ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’ That’s my goal. I’m not trying to undo ‘Alien 3’ or ‘Alien: Resurrection,’ I just want it to be connected to ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’”

Luckily for the sci-fi director, Weaver seems to be fully on board with this creative decision. No production date on this installment is set at the moment, though “Alien: Covenant” is currently filming and is set to be released in theaters on August 4, 2017.

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