Scott then returned to the franchise with Prometheus, which follows a team of scientists as they find themselves under threat while investigating a distant moon. Though the film was a success, its additions to franchise lore proved controversial.

During a recent interview with Deadline, Scott looks back on how the franchise expanded after 1979's Alien, sharing candid thoughts about how it developed without him. "They're f*cking it up," he recalls thinking. The legendary filmmaker also talks about his eventual return with Prometheus, explaining that he viewed it as a "resurrection" of his vision for the Alien franchise.

Scott seemingly laments not retaining more control over the franchise, shouldering some of the blame for its low points while also criticizing previous collaborators. Check out his comments below:

Yes. Jim told me, listen, I can’t get it as frightening because you’ve just shown the beast enough that it’s no longer fresh. But it works, still. He said, I’m going to go military. That’s what Jim said. I said, gotcha. Jim’s was a very good sequel. Three and four became more and more difficult. As it unrolled, I thought, oh God, they’re f*cking it up. And then from that, honestly, I said okay, that’s done.

Years later, I saw this bloody film that they keep playing every night somewhere on the globe, on all the platforms. There’s life in the best, yet. That’s why I sat down with the great writer [Damon] Lindelof, and we reconstructed a resurrection of the era, with Prometheus, and how it evolved from Alien. But we were asleep at the wheel. My advisors, who frankly no longer are with me, were asleep at the wheel, certainly. And I partly blame myself, except I was busy making other films. And so it was let go and it shouldn’t have been. When you resurrect, you better put your nail into the wall.

What Prometheus' Divisiveness Meant For The Alien Franchise

Alien: Covenant Continued One Controversial Element

For its first four installments, the Alien franchise was most concerned with offering up a combination of horror and sci-fi action, and less concerned with delving into lore. Prometheus, however, goes in a different direction, and Scott uses the prequel to explain the origin of the Xenomorphs and the Engineers. Though the film earned generally positive reviews and has a 73% score on Rotten Tomatoes, these explanations demystified the franchise, a move that, in addition to a focus on David (Michael Fassbender), an android, proved controversial.

Scott further leaned into these ideas in Alien: Covenant (2017), which earned more mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment. After Prometheus grossed $403 million, Covenant grossed only $241, a clear indication that audiences weren't super interested in this new direction. After laying dormant for a number of years, the franchise returned with Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus this summer, which has been a critical and commercial hit. Though the film doesn't abandon the lore reveals in Scott's prequels, it does make them less prominent overall, signaling a new direction for the franchise.

Alien: Romulus enjoys an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes and was a box office success, grossing $351 million worldwide.

Our Take On Prometheus' Evolution Of The Alien Franchise

Prometheus & Covenant Deserve A Follow-Up

Prometheus may not be as good as Alien or Aliens, but it does feature some great set pieces and new ideas. Alien: Covenant set up a third installment in this prequel trilogy, but its underperformance has seemingly ensured that David's saga will remain unfinished. Though Alien: Romulus' reviews have been positive, it's a shame that Scott won't get to complete this particular story.

Generally, it seems as if time has been kind to both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, so it's possible that a third David film would now be more warmly received. An Alien: Covenant sequel is unlikely to happen, so the best fans of that movie can hope for now is more black goo action in the in-development Romulus sequel.

Source: Deadline