Summary

• Ridley Scott and James Cameron both loved Alien: Romulus, but had very different perspectives on the script.
• Alvarez had in-depth creative discussions with both Scott and Cameron, highlighting the importance of working with masters of the craft.
• The approval of Scott and Cameron brings a chance for Alien: Romulus to be a breakthrough moment in Alvarez's career.

The director of Alien: Romulus reveals both James Cameron and Ridley Scott’s reactions to the film. Alien: Romulus is directed by Fede Alvarez and is the next addition to the Alien franchise, set for release on August 16. The cast of Alien: Romulus includes Isabela Merced, Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Alvarez revealed Cameron and Scott’s reaction to the sequel Alien: Romulus. The Alien: Romulus director confirmed that Scott loved the film, and talked to Alvarez for an hour about how much he loved it. Throughout the process, Alvarez had “discussed the script with him.” Alvarez revealed that he also talked to Cameron about the script, who has “now seen the movie and loved it” but had very different perspectives than Scott throughout the script’s development. Check out the full quote from Alvarez below:

He did! As intimidating as it is, that’s the best part of being able to work on something like this. For all of us and whatever it is that we do, the dream is to sit down with the masters of our craft and have a conversation about what we do and learn how to do it better. And the process of making this film definitely gave me that experience with Ridley. At the story level, we first told him what I was planning to do, and then when he read it, I discussed the script with him. And later, when he watched the movie, I discussed my cut with him. So I consider each one of those moments and creative conversations with Ridley to be a highlight of my career and my life.

James Cameron is also someone I’ve met through the years, and when he learned that I was doing it, we started chatting about it. So I also had that conversation with him at the script level. He’s now seen the movie and loved it. It’s also fascinating because [Cameron and Scott’s] notes and comments are completely different. (Laughs.) They wouldn’t repeat a note. Whatever Ridley said, Cameron said something different. They were all super smart comments, notes and thoughts on the film and the filmmaking, et cetera, but both of them have completely different approaches. So the fantastic part of being able to make this film is to have the chance to work with them.

The Legacy of the Alien Franchise Explained

It is good to know how much Alvarez talked to both Scott and Cameron, given the visionary directors’ long associations with the Alien franchise. Scott directed the first film, Alien, back in 1979, and came back to direct Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Cameron worked on the acclaimed sequel Aliens in 1986. Scott also serves as a producer on Alien: Romulus.

Alien and Aliens are considered some of the most important science-fiction works to date. Both films got rave reviews from critics, with Alien scoring a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and Aliens scoring an even higher 98%. Both films were also extremely formative in the careers of both Scott and Cameron, as the former went on to direct Blade Runner and the latter directed Titanic as well as the Avatar franchise.

With Cameron and Scott’s approval, Alien: Romulus has a chance to become a formative moment in Alvarez’s career. The director made a small splash with the psychological horror film Don’t Breathe in 2016, but Alien: Romulus will be the chance for Alvarez to break out into the mainstream. From the looks of the Alien: Romulus trailer and the reports of the Scott and Cameron reactions, it looks like this blockbuster may be a smashing success for Alvarez.

Alien is available to stream on Hulu and Peacock. Aliens is available to stream on Max and Starz.

Source: THR