The Alien Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Movie Proves There Is Still One Xenomorph Story Left To Be Told

By Padraig Cotter

Published Dec 20, 2024

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Alien: Covenant ending on major cliffhangers.

Response to Scott's duology was mixed overall, with the screenplays for both being critiqued for their illogical character choices and lack of focus on the titular creatures. Scott's vision for the franchise was thus abandoned, with 2024's sequel Romulus soft rebooting the series and taking it in a new direction. Alien: Romulus' ending suggests possible future adventures for new leads Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonsson) and a sequel appears to be in the work - this also means the series won't be resolving Scott's Prometheus story anytime soon.

Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in front of a blue and green background

It's Sad That Alien Has 3 Movies & TV Shows, But None Of Them Can Sensibly Bring Back Sigourney Weaver's Ripley

Alien's movies and TV shows have no opportunities for Sigourney Weaver to return as Ripley, but her character could return in other ways.

Posts 5

Prometheus Is The Highest-Grossing Alien Movie, But Its Story Was Never Concluded

Anticipation was sky-high for Scott's 2012 Alien prequel

Michael Fassbender's David and Noomi Rapace's Shaw in Prometheus — Custom image by Yeider Chacon

Scott had been absent from the Alien series and the sci-genre for close to 30 years when Prometheus hit theaters. The trailers and previews had done a masterful job building up hype, and it featured an incredible cast, including Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce in ing roles. The hype propelled Prometheus to a $400 million worldwide gross (via Box Office Mojo); adjusted for inflation, the prequel is only behind the original Alien.

Prometheus' cliffhanger ending also set up the Engineer saga, where android David (Michael Fassbender) and Noomi Rapace's Dr. Shaw flew off to meet mankind's makers. Covenant changed the protagonist of that story, with Shaw being killed offscreen and Fassbender's David being driven by his quest to wipe out mankind with his "perfect" creation, the Xenomorph. The sequel ended with an even bigger sequel tease, with David planning to use the colonists lying in suspended animation for his continuing experiments with the black goo.

This third Alien prequel would have turned Michael Fassbender's character into an android Dr Moreau, and it was also set to replace the Xenomorph with David...

This, of course, was setting up a third Alien prequel, which was reportedly dubbed Awakening. Plot details have been teased about how this entry would play out, including the vengeful Engineers chasing after David. This third film would have turned Fassbender's character into an android Dr Moreau, and it was also set to replace the Xenomorph with David as the franchise's new villain.

Alien: Covenant’s Disappointing Box Office Explains Why A Third Prequel Never Happened

Covenant's box office tally was way down from Prometheus

David (Michael Fassbender) from Prometheus and a neomorph from Alien: Covenant — Custom image by Yailin Chacon

During promotion for Alien: Covenant, Scott was actively talking up his plans for future entries; even suggesting there were at least two more movies on the way. Covenant's box-office gross killed Scott's plan quickly, with the critically divisive outing pulling in just over $240 million. While not exactly disastrous, it was a significant comedown from Prometheus and signaled audiences were not onboard for where Scott planned to go next.

Every Alien Movie & Spinoff	Release Year
Alien	1979
Aliens	1986
Alien 3	1992
Alien Resurrection	1997
Alien vs Predator	2004
Alien vs Predator: Requiem	2007
Prometheus	2012
Alien: Covenant	2017
Alien: Romulus	2024

This is a shame in one sense since even those who disliked Covenant tend to it it ends with a real exciting cliffhanger. One more installment to wrap up the David arc would have been ideal, with the Alien prequels featuring some of Fassbender's best work as a performer. The studio didn't see it that way, and likely questioned the logic of greenlighting another Scott prequel when critical and audience response to the previous two was lukewarm at best.

Alien: Romulus’ $350 Million Success Means Disney Made The Right Call With The Franchise

Alien: Awakening could still happen someday

While no classic, Alien: Romulus restored audience faith in the sci-fi property. It went a little overboard with easter eggs and callbacks, but it was also a stripped-back and scary ride that featured a stellar turn from David Jonsson. Romulus worked in exactly the way it was intended to, by soft rebooting a series that had stalled and reminding audiences why they loved Alien in the first place. It was also confirmation, if any was needed, that producers were right to scrap plans for Alien: Awakening.

It should be noted that Alien: Romulus didn't entirely abandon the Prometheus story, with the Engineers' DNA rewriting black goo playing a part in the narrative.

Where the franchise goes next is the big question. Romulus features Ripley easter eggs that suggest some type of midquel could be on the way, though that could go horribly wrong unless it's approached with extreme caution. It would probably be best to move on from Ripley altogether - especially if Weaver isn't going to return. It should be noted that Alien: Romulus didn't entirely abandon the Prometheus story, with the Engineers' DNA rewriting black goo playing a part in the narrative.

Since he is still a producer on the series, Scott's unused plans for Awakening could find their way into Alien: Romulus 2. It would be great to get some resolution to the David story, but the 2024 sequel was right to steer away from Scott's original plans. The prequels told an ambitious story and featured great concepts and visuals, but the story substance was often lacking. The movies needed to get their groove back - and Alien: Romulus achieved that very task.

Source: Box Office Mojo