There's no doubt that Alien: Romulus was a fun breath of fresh air for the Alien franchise. Bringing the series back to its roots, the Ridley Scott-produced film teased elements from previous franchise entries, most notably the black substance first highlighted in Prometheus and its sequel, Alien: Covenant. But with the news that Scott is looking to develop yet another Alien motion picture, we can't help but see this as a step in the right direction for the franchise. Sure, Romulus was a great time, but some of the ideas the filmmaker explored back in his two prequel films still need resolving. After all, fans have been waiting for quite some time for a third film to round out the director's prequel trilogy, one that will hopefully give us more answers as we continue to ask the tough questions.

Ridley Scott's Next Alien Movie Should Revisit His Prequels

The biggest bummer about Alien: Romulus is that it doesn't address the cliffhanger that Ridley Scott left us with after Alien: Covenant. After Michael Fassbender's notorious android David proved himself a diabolical threat, it's worth noting that he's still out there among the stars. How could David continue to evolve the Xenomorph? What are his plans for humanity? The Alien prequels have left us with plenty of unanswered questions ever since. In October 2024, The Hollywood Reporter published a profile on Ridley Scott that noted that the longtime filmmaker was working to develop a brand new Alien installment. Right now, we don't know if Scott will direct the picture himself, but it's likely that it will revisit some of the material that he first explored in his prequel films, which took a more philosophical approach to the franchise than the original sci-fi horror picture did.

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The franchise's structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.

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With the prequels, both Prometheus and Covenant, Scott had the opportunity to expand the Alien franchise beyond his original 1979 horror flick — and maybe that's just what the franchise needs. Romulus was a good time that managed to recapture some of the elements that made Alien and Aliens so great, but it was a far cry from the direction that Scott had envisioned for the series with his previous installments. Yes, we did get a Prometheus Easter egg, but that only whetted our appetite for more. If anything, it only serves as a reminder that there are still some seriously unanswered questions out there, and loose ends that have yet to be tied together. The news of Scott's next installment could mean a return to his prequel form, which might better inform the events of the franchise's future. Either way, fans of the filmmaker's work should be excited at the prospect of more Alien material.

The Alien Franchise Can Evolve Beyond Xenomorph Horrors

Alien doesn't just have to be about a Xenomorph's reign of terror on unsuspecting people. We've seen that plot happen time and again, even within Ridley Scott's two prequels. While that is certainly an element of the Alien franchise that one comes to expect whenever sitting down for a new installment, that doesn't mean that the film series can't reinvent itself a little bit along the way — not unlike the way the Predator franchise has with Prey and other upcoming installments. The Alien franchise has the opportunity here to dive deeper into the philosophies and moral dilemmas that David and other franchise characters face when encountering alien life. By no means are we suggesting that the Xenomorphs be entirely removed from the franchise. However, rather than get lost in repeating the same old thing — the same way many of the post-Aliens sequels did with Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley, who just couldn't catch a break — this could reinvigorate the series the same way Scott did with Prometheus over a decade ago.

Traditionally speaking, science-fiction and horror have plenty of crossover history and potential. Prometheus, after all, harkens back to not just the character from Greek mythology, but also Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which itself was alternatively titled The Modern Prometheus. In Shelley's famous horror novel, she details the moral failures of the titular scientist while examining the notion that mankind might play God, only for their creation to likewise turn on them. It's an age-old tale, but one that the Alien franchise might continue to explore in further installments. Adding this layer of philosophical horror to the mix (alongside the Xenomorph, of course) would be a profound way to further develop the franchise into something beyond just classic Alien scares.

No matter the way Ridley Scott decides to continue the Alien franchise — either as a producer or returning to the director's chair — the potential is limitless. There are still so many unreached regions of the Alien universe in need of exploring, and with a television series still in the works at FX, there's never been a better time to be an Alien fan. Even if you're a bit on the fence about modern legacy sequels (they can be very hit-or-miss) or feel the Alien franchise is a bit played out, there's always hope that Scott and his team can bring some new life to decades-old material. At the end of the day, Covenant never got an official sequel, but we can only hope that whatever the next installment brings, it continues to elaborate on Scott's fascinating mythology.

Alien: Romulus is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.

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