Prequel or not, the "Prometheus" trailer has landed.
The long-awaited next entry into the "Alien" canon, with original series creator Ridley Scott back on board, hits theaters next summer. To tease the series' rabid fan base, 20th Century Fox has put out this first look at the film, which blasts into the late 21st century and explores the alien race that so horrified Sigourney Weaver and company in the original films.
"Alien," released in 1979 to massive commercial and critical success, spawned four sequels (as well as "Alien vs. Predator" spinoffs), the last of which came in 1997. Incidentally, the third, a mess of a film, was directed by David Fincher, who helms this week's new flick "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." A further connection: Fincher's "Dragon Tattoo" film is a remake of the Swedish version, which starred Noomi Rapace, one of the leads in "Prometheus."
Rapace plays Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, scientist and explorer, while Michael Fassbender plays an android named David. Charlize Theron, as corporate suit Meredith Vickers; Idris Elba, as Captain Janek; Guy Pearce as Stannison; and Logan Marshall-Green, as Holloway, Rapace's love interest, round out the cast.
Speaking to Collider this summer, co-writer Damon Lindelof spoke about how the film went from a direct prequel to "Alien" to a more original story.
"I think Ridley really wanted to move the movie into more original territory. The idea of a prequel, leading up to the original movies, as opposed to thematically being about something else, but also giving the opportunity to introduce new characters into the movie, was a big deal," he told the site. "Obviously, in order to get an amazing cast, including an Oscar winner (Charlize Theron), it really had to be driven by the people. So, although the ideas of the movie are very big, we wanted to set it and make it feel like it was an alien in that same universe. Ridley hasn't directed a science fiction film in 25 years, so now that he's coming back and doing one last heist, as it were, the bar was very, very high."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story wrote that of the three "Alien" sequels, the latest appeared in 1992. The third sequel, "Alien Resurrection," appeared in 1997.