Alien Prequel News (why choose a name that won't be relevant come this time next year?) exclusively reports that Ridley Scott and his team have wrapped principle photography at Pinewood Studios in England on Prometheus, their sci-fi horror prequel to Alien that tells the origin of the creatures... and man. In addition, they have a slew of images from the breakdown of the set pieces that they have already connected to designs in Scott's 1979 classic (see below). Click the link above for more.
Fox has slated the 3-D film for release on June 8, 2012.
Bring this movie on already!!!!!! (http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/Chiprocks1/Smilies/0%20All%20Smilies/banghead.gif)Patience grasshopper
While the entire plot has already leaked online, those of you who have covered your eyes can now breathe a sigh of relief. The official Facebook page for Ridley Scott's Prometheus has been updated with a brand new synopsis that gives a very vague breakdown of the plot for the Alien prequel:
"Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With 'Prometheus', he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."
Those of you you just had your curiosity piqued and want to know more, beware of major spoilers and then click here (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/25179).
I'm tempted to click on that spoiler alert for the simple fact that it's NOT moving.
It's been quite a month for Twentieth Century Fox and Prometheus, their presumed prequel to Alien directed by franchise creator Ridley Scott. Keeping the excitement in momentum, by clicking the above or below still you'll now find our new gallery of hi-res imagery!
In addition, Tom Rothman, CEO of Fox, spoke with MTV about the recent trailer leak (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/27415). "I heard some of it leaked, which wasn't so good," he said. "That's not fair. It's heartbreakingly unfair, because ... the quality of the visuals is as spectacularly beautiful, shot in 3-D compositionally the way only a master could do it," Rothman added. "For some early, early, early, early half-baked, half-assed test to leak, it's so unfair."
And speaking on the Alien connection he explains: "I'll tell you the great thing: It's way bigger than that. The ideas are way bigger, way more original and — it's a scary word — way more profound."
Fox has Prometheus slated for launch on June 8, 2012.
My fear is since its inception, the anticipation is going to out flank the movie and no matter what, will be a disappointment. Cripes, the frenzy and buzz is solid. Wait until it get closer to next summer. Jeeeezzzz
The LA Times has an interesting article on Prometheus today, and there's definitely a smattering of the Alien mythology in the pic they included.
It's interesting that they ran this exchange with co-writer Damon Lindelof, "What the two do have in common, Lindelof said, is that the universe in which each takes place shares a similar aesthetic. When the writer signed on to the film, Scott was already deep into discussions with production designer Arthur Max, whose résumé includes work on “Se7en” and “Gladiator.” Scott took Lindelof to what he described as a “thick, dramatic vault door” where five twentysomethings who “looked like they were playing video games” were rendering images of planets, creatures and space suits."
Ugh (flinging tomato at you)
Ridley Scott's Prometheus is getting closer and closer to release and, while mystery is still high (and should be - I don't want to be totally spoiled), more and more is beginning to emerge.
Like this still for instance. We've seen glimpses of this imagery in the teaser, but not from this angle. It features the giant stone head from the posters amidst what looks like the egg rooms from Alien and Aliens. Only the egg-like objects in Prometheus seem to be made of granite or perhaps some alloy and they are more conical in shape. But there's no denying what they're intended to invoke.
"Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With 'Prometheus', he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race."
In theaters June 8, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Guy Pearce, Kate Dickie, Rafe Spall, Logan Marshall-Green, Benedict Wong, Emun Elliott, Ben Foster, Patrick Wilson all star.
Ridley Scott's return to Alien franchise was originally conceived as a trilogy all stitched together to set up his iconic 1979 sci-fi horror pic.
With the prequel Prometheus hitting theaters June 8 in a flurry of hype, Scott is once again thinking "sequel".
In speaking to EW about the upcoming Blade Runner, Scott reveals that he's "also thinking about what the hell I might do for a 'Prometheus 2.'" as he knocks the wood coffee table and grins.
Those keeping up with the Prometheus mythos know that the film is supposed to set up exactly how the dead Space Jockey crash landed on the planet. This still leaves plenty of years (or millions of years) to explore.
By "Trilogy", is the talk around Prometheus 1, 2, and 3? Or just Prometheus 1 & 2, plus Alien?
Ye of little faith... and patience
If you'd like to cynically file this one under "no **** Sherlock," we won't entirely blame you, but hear us out for a second. Way back when "Prometheus" was first announced circa March 2010, it wasn't "Prometheus." Written by Jon Spaihts and conceived then as a full-blown prequel to 1979's “Alien,” when the announcement first arrived, Ridley Scott himself corrected journos that had asked about the prequel during “Robin Hood” press. “Prequels, two films," he stressed, noting both would be shot in 3D but wouldn’t be shot back to back.
Things then changed. The “Alien” prequel was then rewritten and reconceived by “Lost” writer Damon Lindelof and became “Prometheus,” a film that, according to Scott, audiences would able to “recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak.”
Even though strands of a xenomorph -- or a type of xenomorph, the H.R. Giger work is unmistakable -- are clearly visible in the trailer (or at least visible when you freeze the frame), this weekend at WonderCon in Anaheim, Scott and Lindelof continued to distance “Prometheus” as being a proper prequel to “Alien.”
However, Scott did circle back to the idea of two films at the WonderCon panels. "It evolved into another universe," Scott told the WonderCon crowd about the original intentions for the “Alien” prequel and how it morphed into “Prometheus.” "If we're lucky, there'll be a second part. It does leave you with some nice open questions."
Now, that’s where we really get into the potential “duh,” but we’re glad to hear that this sequel idea -- word of which many assumed had gone away when the film concept was retooled -- still survives. Of course Scott’s “lucky,” comment means if “Prometheus” does well at the box office and justifies its existence (the budget has been reported to be in the $200+ million dollar range).
A side note of interest. While at Comic-Con 2011, Lindelof said that “Prometheus” was “literally designed for 3D,” there’s very little by way of the recent marketing that pushes the 3D angle. Then again, that appears to be the norm these days as studios shy away from promoting 3D as their main focus and back to the content itself (never a bad thing). And while Scott also said he was cutting a PG-13 and R-Rated cut of the film, the greenband nature of the new trailer suggests the R-rating was a pie in the sky idea.
And if you’re not convinced that “Prometheus” is not an “Alien” prequel, according to Lindelof at WonderCon, one of the reasons the film did evolve was because the original script felt too familiar to the director. “I want to do Sci-Fi again, but I think this movie is too close to 'Alien,' ” Lindelof explained, recalling what Scott said in their first meeting together.
Another idea Lindelof reiterated from past statements about the film -- that we admittedly kind of love -- is the idea that prequels are often pretty damn boring because you know the outcome of them.
“Often there is an inevitability to watching a prequel,” he said. “So, If the ending of this movie is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into that has eggs there is nothing interesting in that. We know how it's going to end. So, this movie will hopefully contextualize the original 'Alien' so maybe you know a bit more.”
June 8th cannot arrive any sooner as far as we’re concerned. Btw, while we're here, here's the full U.K. trailer for "Prometheus," which sports a more relaxed pace (at first at first) and centers on the origins of the "invitation." You'll see what we mean below, not to mention the subtle love story within.
If this should do well?
Pa-shaw
Ridley Scott defined modern-day science fiction with two back-to-back projects begun over 30 years ago. Alien and Blade Runner set a new standard for the genre with their dark and dystopian visions of the future, and introduced the world to a new set of iconic characters.
Three decades later, Scott returns to the genre he helped define with Prometheus. Begun as an Alien prequel, the film’s original mythology has been borne of DNA of that seminal original film, but its grand themes promise to stand very much alone and question humanity’s understanding of the secrets of the universe.
Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall Green comprise the ensemble cast of Prometheus. The script comes from Lost creator Damon Lindelof and the writer of The Darkest Hour, Jon Spaihts.
Talking from the offices of his Scott Free production company in London, Scott shares his vision for Prometheus, discusses his return to the science-fiction roots of his career, and his ideas about the creation of the universe.
What prompted a return to science fiction after all these years?
Science fiction is a wonderful – sorry about the pun – universe for – again, another much overused word – creativity. It's an arena where anything goes. But I think you have to make sure it's not cheesy and it's a good story and it's not abused.
There's a serious lack of originality now. It's mostly dressing and it already utilises the science fiction idea. The opportunity presents itself to fundamentally do anything you want, providing that you draw up a rule book in the first place. You’ve got to draw up the rules of your drama and within that universe you've got to actually stick to your own rule book. I think that's what's happening – we're not drawing enough rules up when we do materials. It feels like writing a book. It's like when you write an article, you’ve got to box it into a three act play. There’s a beginning, middle and an end. That doesn’t change whether you’re writing a book or writing a screenplay. The hardest single thing you do is get the bloody screenplay right.
Where did your journey into sci-fi begin back then?
I carried myself forward into science fiction mostly with the inspiration from Jean Giraud - Moebius - and his marvellous original illustrations, thinking that would show itself in magazines such as Métal Hurlant and all those publications which I used to look at and hide from my children, mainly because it was so violent and so sexual. They were kind of adult comic strips but they didn’t pull any punches, and I thought, ‘that’s the way to go’. In fact, Moebius designed my costumes [for Alien]. The idea of science fiction came out of the blue. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool designer, and I'll always be a designer, and I'd been mucking around with a quick story when I saw Star Wars. And Star Wars kind of knocked me sideways with all my plans.
So Alien was a reaction for you to Star Wars? A reaction against Star Wars?
No, no, to go, ‘God Almighty, where did this guy come from?’ It stopped me in my tracks and changed my whole head.
You've talked about the idea of these post-apocalyptic films having been done to death. Is Prometheus your way of going in the opposite direction and wondering about the beginning of life?
It is, and I’ve got to check [for spoilers] very carefully here, but it is about the beginning of life and ’what if’. It’s a giant ’what if'. Has this ball that we’re sitting on right now been around here for three billion years or one billion? Either way, it’s a long f---ing time. It’s only our kind of arrogance that says ”We’re the first ones.”
Are we the first hominids? I really, really, really doubt it. In recent memory or legend we keep talking about wonderful, weird things such as Atlantis – what is that? Where does that come from? Is that real, was it real, is it a memory, did it exist? And if that did exist, did it exist three quarters of a billion years ago? There’d be nothing left now. How was that created and who was it?
It’s also interesting that there are uncanny similarities between cultures that developed on opposite sides of the world.
Absolutely, it’s something we don’t know. Something that we really, really don’t know. Is there a guiding force into this process? Is it a much larger idea and much larger entity that we can’t really fathom? Because it’s as if, if you stand by an ant, it doesn't see you. It doesn't even know you're there. I think it's different, because we’re intelligent enough to go, ‘oh, that’s a very large fellow,’ but that’s a good metaphor.
How do the characters in Prometheus tackle these themes?
They have a different thesis about – what we were first talking about – being pre-visited, which is an old idea. But I think it comes out of a good place because it’s an entirely good question. Is there a God or is there not a God? Are we a petri dish here or not, and if we were a petri dish, of whom? What was the force, what is the entity that we can’t possibly even fathom, because it’s something we haven’t crossed that line yet?
James Cameron had a lot of success going all-digital with Avatar, but Prometheus will be largely practical. Do you think practical is better?
No, I think Jim definitely raised the mark both with what he did and the story, and then how he pulled it off – God, he’s got patience, four and a half years – but I wasn’t even going to get into that area, and I don’t think Fox were either. Besides, what I’ve got is an expected engine. It’s not entirely what you expect, but I think what I’m saying is going to be fairly scary, whereas Jim’s is not that kind of film. No, that just evolved. The actual truth is, if you know what you’re doing it’s actually cheaper. Digital effects are not cheaper. We’ve done this film for a really good price.
What does the title mean for you?
The story of Prometheus is the idea that if you’re given a gift from the gods, do not abuse it and do not think you can compete. He stole fire and they had his entrails torn out everyday in perpetuity by an eagle as a punishment. Every night they'd repair and then the eagle would come back in the morning and rip his liver and his kidneys out again. It’s perpetual purgatory. Basically, don’t f--- around with gods.
Great read.
Ridley Scott may have a hit on his hands with his Alien prequel Prometheus, but he’s worried that an R rating could ruin it all. At a public screening of some of the film’s footage in London yesterday, he let loose on the Motion Picture Association of America, complaining that the MPAA’s rating system may be broken.
Film blog Thompson on Hollywood has a good recap of the footage shown and Scott’s comments. The site writes:
[Scott] also expressed frustration at the MPAA’s seemingly random approach to ratings, saying he wanted Prometheus to get a rating “that allows it to make as much money as possible. I know the importance of that. When a big film fails, it’s disastrous for all of us.” But he also blasted some of the “films this year that have got PG-13 ratings – it’s absolutely **** ludicrous. So MPAA, get your house in order.”
Scott isn’t the only person to complain about the MPAA lately. The creators of the documentary Bully were upset by the organization because their film received an R rating, which means that its intended audience (teens being bullied) cannot see the film. When a film does not get at least a PG-13 rating, it often loses a large chunk of its potential box office revenue.
The MPAA rates films by playing them for a committee who review them for things like language, drugs, violence, and sexual content. Information on the process and committee members can be found here.
We know that The Dark Knight Rises has managed to get a PG-13 rating, and can only hope that Prometheus manages to get one as well. It would be a shame if it turns out to be a great film but is unable to recoup its budget due to a rating. Prometheus hits theaters June 8, 2012.
We were waiting for the official word on just what Prometheus will be rated, and while that hasn't comes just yet, some other good news has. Read on for the details.
During a Paris press conference (see the video below), Scott exclaimed some truly exciting news ...
“The cut that you’re gonna see in cinemas…it’s always the director’s cut, really,” Scott exclaimed before chatting up on the film’s run time. “I’ve only made a mistake once on cutting a film short — I won’t say what it is right now, because this is not the time — but I removed 17 minutes off a movie, and I didn’t ruin it, but it wasn’t [as effective]. In this instance, you got a pretty good version here, pretty good cut. We’re running at about — I think without the end titles, which normally run about four to five minutes — we’re running one hour, fifty-nine minutes and change. It’s very tight, it’s what it should be.”
Does that mean it's an R? Stay tuned.
Prometheus, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Patrick Wilson, Logan Marshall-Green, and Ben Foster, will be in theaters on June 8th, 2012.
Synopsis
In the distant future two superpowers control Earth and fight each other for all the solar system's natural resources. When one side dispatches a team to a distant planet to terraform it for human colonization, the team members discover an indigenous race of bio-mechanoid killers.
Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With 'Prometheus' he creates a groundbreaking mythology in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
Michael Fassbender cries robot tears — and creeps everyone out — in the latest teaser for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi epic Prometheus.
The clip, which surfaced Tuesday, plays out like a promotional video showing off one of Weyland Industries‘ humanoid robots (or is it Weyland Corp.? the dialog and the branding seen in the video are different). The android, named David and played by a fantastically rigid-yet-cuddly Fassbender, claims he is an incredibly human robot.
“What is it about robots that makes them so robotic?” the droid says in the voiceover. “At Weyland Industries, it has long been our goal to create artificial intelligence almost indistinguishable from mankind itself.”
To prove his humanity — David claims he understands human feelings even if he doesn’t have them — the android cries real(ish) tears when asked what distresses him. (Answers: war, poverty, unnecessary violence, etc.). But, in a show of what makes his model very un-human, David describes how he can help people.
“I can do almost anything that could possibly be asked of me,” David says. “I can assist your employees. I can make your organization more efficient. I can carry out directives my human counterparts might find … distressing, or unethical.”
The faux android advertisement closes with David explaining that he is the eighth generation of Weyland’s robots and describes himself as, “technological, intellectual, physical, emotional.”
Again, creepy.
He said at one point to make it PG-13 to make it available to as many people as possible.
2. I'm not even going to attempt to see this on opening day or week for that matter. It's going to be packed and you already know how I feel about having to share armrest with strangers. Also, I have to be able to kick my feet up on the chair in front of me to get comfortable and I can't do that with someone sitting in front of me. Well, I can, but that leads to a brawl, black eyes and missing teeth.
Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?ie=UTF8&tag=dv059-20&linkCode=ur2&docId=1000795671&camp=1789&creative=390957) are running a deal where the first 5000 customers to pre-order Prometheus on Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D from yesterday will be eligible to receive a code (valid until August 31st) which can be redeemed for a ticket to see the movie at participating theaters in the US. Still not upgraded to a Blu-ray player? (seriously?!) Well, the deal isn't available for anyone who pre-orders the DVD unfortunately. Currently, there are no details on when the Blu-ray is released or what special features will be contained on the disc. Prometheus a fantastic film (my review will be up here on CBM later today) so this is a deal which is well worth taking advantage of.
While Ridley Scott's Prometheus is still in theaters, it's been available for preorder on Blu-ray 3D since before the flick debuted, and now Amazon France has exposed the full list of extras on the way. The bad news, pointed out by Movies.com and Prometheus Forum, is that those anticipating a classic Ridley Scott Director's Cut to fill in plot holes appear to be in for a disappointment -- while there are 15 minutes of extended / cut scenes, there's no indication that you'll be able to watch the movie with them reinserted. There are a lot of other extras, including a director's commentary, extensive making-of featurettes, many of the short viral videos that were posted previously and production materials, along with a Second Screen iPad app. The specific set listed includes the other Alien flicks, but since we're sure you've already snagged the Anthology with its MU-TH-UR interactive mode you'll probably be looking for a more limited release. The release date for the set remains October 9th, hit the source link for the listing or check out the full list of features and a trailer after the break.