New concept art from Neill Blomkamp's cancelled Alien 5 shows the return of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Hicks (Michael Biehn), and more. Ripley Scott's space horror franchise has taken many forms over the years and a questionable mythology such as sequels, prequels, and IP mashup spinoffs have been made. The most recent Alien movies saw Scott return to the series to helm two prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which explored the origins of the iconic Xenomorph aliens.
At the same time that Scott was reinventing the Alien franchise, District 9 director, Neill Blomkamp, toyed with the idea of making Alien 5. His movie would've brought Sigourney Weaver back as Ripley to give her a better send-off than she received with Alien: Resurrection. It also would've seemingly retconned the events of the third and fourth films in the series by bringing Newt and Hicks back to life. Blomkamp and others involved with the movie have teased what his Alien 5 could've looked like prior to its cancellation, and now some new concept art from the project has surfaced online.
Concept artist, Ripley returning, Hicks leading a team of soldiers, and a new android design. Check them out below:
Fans of the Alien franchise are sure to be intrigued, at the very least, by what story Blomkamp wanted to tell based on this concept art. However, Alien 5's status as an actual production was quite unclear even when the director was actively working on it. Ridley Scott said that the movie never had a script, while Blomkamp stated this was mostly an exercise in creativity set inside the popular franchise. It was in 2017 that Blomkamp and those involved with Alien 5 officially moved on, as Alien: Covenant disappointed at the box office and put the franchise's future on ice.
Although this version of Alien 5 didn't get off the ground before or after Disney bought Fox, it will only be a matter of time before the franchise continues on the big screen. Disney, 20th Century Studios, and Hulu are working on a TV show set in the Alien universe at the moment. But, the return of Sigourney Weaver as Ripley is a huge hook Disney is sitting on at the moment. Given the studio's interest in franchises and nostalgia, it might only be a matter of time before Alien 5 happens - even if it isn't the film shown in this concept art.
Source: Geoffroy Thoorens
