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I have been aware of the existence of the ALIEN films since I was young, thanks to the Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. I used to be absolutely terrified of the ride's ALIEN segment, but on one trip, I managed keep my eyes open long enough to catch a glimpse of the film's titular monster. I loved its design. I had never seen anything like it before. Over the next several years, I became very interested in the ALIEN films and how they were made; alas, I was too young to see them.

Things remained this way until my twentieth birthday, which took place on February 19, 2015; on this day, my parents gave me the ALIEN Quadrilogy DVD box set, and I dove into the films as soon as I could. Now was my chance to see them. At last I could do so without fear of getting in trouble; while I was hesitant to watch ALIEN and its sequels at first because I did not know what to expect, I eventually managed to sit through all four movies. Even though ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN 3, and ALIEN: Resurrection do not compose my favorite film franchise of all time, I enjoyed them quite a lot. 

I am presently attending Rhode Island College as a Film Studies major with a focus in film production, and I was born with a very creative mind that is easily able to come up with ideas for sequels and/or prequels to the movies, video games, and novels that inspire me and I enjoy. Naturally, I wanted to make my own ALIEN film upon finishing ALIEN: Resurrection

With the announcement of Neill Blomkamp's ALIENS sequel, which is set to ignore ALIEN 3 and ALIEN: Resurrection by continuing the story of the original Ripley and Hicks, I decided to write my own script for a film that would continue (and eventually conclude) the story of Ripley 8. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do this yet because I literally have no ideas for a movie of the scale I am imagining; like Blomkamp, I at least hope to one day make something as good as ALIENS (my personal favorite film in this franchise). I would like to assemble a team of sorts to "make" my ALIEN film (I hesitate to call it ALIEN 5 on the grounds that some might not want the ALIEN franchise to become one with a branched, split canon, as is now the case with Star Wars thanks to Disney...). That is why I have written this blog post.

I would like to share what ideas I have, and then over the next several months, within the parameters I establish, I would like to come up with a solid story concept and script that would please the general ALIEN fanbase. I acknowledge that some may not like the plot I wish to pursue, but as long as it does not do what ALIEN 3 and ALIEN: Resurrection did, I feel like I could get this version of the ALIEN storyline (ignoring Blomkamp's film) back on its feet and make something worthwhile. I'm not saying I'll be lucky enough to actually make an ALIEN film (I can dream, can't I?), but this could at least be something fun for me (and those who are creative and interested in aiding me) to do. I may even want to make some storyboards and/or concept art one of these days...I want to bring the ALIEN ideas in my head to life, without actually making a physical product until I have the means. Now that I think about it, I guess I want help pursuing my pre-production phase. 

Anyways, my ideas for the ALIEN franchise (keep in mind they are very rough concepts at the present time) are as follows:

Two sequels to ALIEN: Resurrection. Why two? Because the story goes like so:

  • ALIEN 5 - Ripley 8 thought that she had saved the Earth. She was wrong. Many years have passed since the destruction of the USM Auriga. Now Ripley 8 is the post-apocalyptic Earth's last hope of surviving a xenomorph infestation.
  • ALIEN 6 - Destroying the Earth was the only way for Ripley 8 to end the deceased planet's xenomorph infestation. Determined to exact her revenge against the creatures that have caused her so much pain and suffering, Ripley 8 heads to the aliens' home world to begin the intense final battle that awaits her.

These plots are very loosely inspired by the ALIENS: Female War comics that I have read about; story details have obviously been changed to fit the story of ALIEN: Resurrection, and the plot for my ALIEN 6 concept obviously depicts what it does because it is meant to be the last ALIEN film. The conclusion to Ripley's story, at least in this timeline. Once the xenomorphs are destroyed once and for all, there is no reason for these films to continue. To those who are uninterested in another "Xenomorphs on Earth" story thanks to ALIEN vs. PREDATOR, or to those who say, like Sigourney Weaver, that Earth is not an interesting setting in general, keep the following things in mind:

  • My concept takes place on the post-apocalyptic Earth seen in deleted footage from ALIEN: Resurrection (because the footage is deleted, we can adapt the Earth and the state it is in to suit our needs, since the final film does not show the planet's surface). Not only does Ripley 8 (being what she is) make the familiar setting of Earth a bit stranger to us, but the very fact that the story is set on a version of Earth we are not familiar with makes this place even more "alien" to viewers.
  • Any supporting characters in this film concept are not the Average Joes from the ALIEN vs. PREDATOR films. Again I stress that Earth and its residents do not behave or appear as they do in that film's present-day Earth setting in my concept. The only thing that ALIEN vs. PREDATOR could ever contribute to my idea is its action sequences; I am picturing large waves of xenomorphs being faced at once, as well as some intense close combat between Ripley 8 and her "children." Think of things as a very loose adaptation of AvP to fit the world established in ALIEN: Resurrection.

The destruction of the xenomorphs' home world in my ALIEN 6 plot idea links to a concept for a video game I had, which is below:

  • ALIEN: Engineers - A game based off of Jon Spaihts' unused script for what eventually became PROMETHEUS. It does not utilize the elements of the script that appeared in PROMETHEUS; it is a more direct prequel to ALIEN that shows the crashing of the derelict spacecraft on LV-426, how the Weyland-Yutani corporation came to learn of the derelict ship, how Ash was placed on the Nostromo, and why the Nostromo and its crew were specifically selected to visit LV-426 and reclaim the dangerous cargo lost on the planetoid's surface. The main antagonist of this game would first be the Beluga-Xenomorph, then the Ultramorph, and at least one Engineer. This game would at last reveal the true origins of the xenomorph species; they are bio-weapons meant to exterminate the races the Engineers create and then wish to wipe out. The xenomorph home world is a breeding ground or factory for these bio-weapons; the non-weaponized version of the xenomorph is, in fact, the Beluga-Xenomorph.
    • This video game may ignore PROMETHEUS and any of its sequels, for they are merely set in the ALIEN universe and follow their own mythos. My concept for ALIEN: Engineers leads right into 1979's ALIEN
    • The revelations about the xenomorph species in this game link to my ALIEN 6 film concept in the sense that Ripley 8 visits the xenomorph factory built by the Engineers. Then she destroys it. While this effectively ends the ALIEN franchise (which is only relevant as far as humanity's conflicts with the xenomorphs), this could then open up possibilities for a sequel film franchise in which Ripley (or someone else) battles the Engineers, who seek vengeance for the loss of their bio-weapons breeding facility (hideous as this idea could be if not executed correctly). 
    • Why did I want this to be a game? Simply because games are easier to disregard as non-canon if necessary than a film is. While we could make Spaihts' script a prequel in film form that ignores PROMETHEUS in the same way Neill Blomkamp's ALIEN 5 ignores ALIEN 3 and ALIEN: Resurrection, I honestly feel a video game would be more interesting. 

Well, that's the basic gist of everything I have so far in regards to these projects of mine. I know my ideas and intentions for them are extremely ambitious. They always are. That does not stop me. I have a passion for my creative projects; I hope those who share that passion, both for ALIEN and for creativity and/or movie-making, decide to join me and bring these ideas to life to the extent that they can! I apologize for the length of this blog post; anyone with ideas for my concepts need only post them in the comments section below. That is also where I hope anyone interested in helping out will choose to sign up! 

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