Ridley Scott recently revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that he was never asked to direct the sequels to his iconic films “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” Scott, who directed the original “Alien” in 1979 and “Blade Runner” in 1982, expressed regret over not being involved in the subsequent installments of these franchises. He attributed his exclusion to his status as an emerging filmmaker at the time, rather than a lack of interest in directing sequels.
“I was slow out the starting gate,” Scott said. “I mean, I should have done the sequels to ‘Alien’ and to ‘Blade Runner.’ You change over the years. At that time, I didn’t want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in—and then David Fincher—on ‘Alien.'”
Scott’s comments come after he made headlines last fall for expressing regret over letting Denis Villeneuve direct “Blade Runner 2049,” the sequel to his original “Blade Runner.” Although Scott acknowledged that Villeneuve did “a good job” with the movie, he remains regretful over his decision to pass on directing it himself. Instead, Scott chose to direct “Alien: Covenant,” a sequel in the “Alien” franchise.
“I shouldn’t have had to make that decision,” Scott told Empire last year. “But I had to. I should have done ‘Blade Runner 2.'”
In his recent interview with Vanity Fair, Scott elaborated on his feelings about not being asked to direct the sequels. “I’m the author of two franchises. Most directors in Hollywood—certainly, let’s say, at my level—don’t let that stuff go. But I did ‘Alien’ as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And ‘Blade Runner’ was my third movie. So, I had no choice because I had very tough partners. It was kind of ‘Welcome to Hollywood.’ I was never told or asked [about sequels]. You can imagine I wasn’t happy.”
Scott has since made sure not to repeat the same mistake with his other projects. He is currently directing the long-awaited sequel to his 2000 epic “Gladiator,” titled “Gladiator II,” which is set to hit theaters on November 22 from Paramount Pictures. Scott also continues to be involved with the “Alien” and “Blade Runner” franchises. He is executive producing “Blade Runner 2099,” a sequel series to “2049” at Amazon Prime Video, and producing the upcoming film “Alien: Romulus,” directed by Fede Alvarez.
Speaking to Guillermo del Toro at the DGA Latino Summit last year, Alvarez confirmed that he “had to go through the incredibly tense process” of sending the finished cut of “Romulus” to Scott. “I wanted him to see it before anybody,” Alvarez said. “And everyone gave me the head’s up that Ridley is really tough. … Even if he didn’t ask for it, I was gonna go there and sit at a table and look at him and get it. Even if he was gonna say, ‘You destroyed my legacy,’ I wanted to be in front of him and see him in the eye. I didn’t want to get an email where it says ‘Ridley says…’ And then he walks into the room and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s fucking great.’ … One of the best compliments he said was, ‘The dialogue is great. Are you the writer?’ Yes!”
“Alien: Romulus” is set for a theatrical release on August 16.
Reflecting on his career, Scott noted that directing a sequel to one of his iconic ’80s films was an alien notion to him at the time. “I’m the author of two franchises. Most directors in Hollywood—certainly, let’s say, at my level—don’t let that stuff go. But I did ‘Alien’ as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And ‘Blade Runner’ was my third movie. So, I had no choice because I had very tough partners.”
Scott’s regret over not directing the sequels to “Alien” and “Blade Runner” is palpable. “I was slow out the starting gate,” he said. “I mean, I should have done the sequels to ‘Alien’ and to ‘Blade Runner.’ You change over the years. At that time, I didn’t want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in—and then David Fincher—on ‘Alien.’ I was never told or asked. You can imagine I wasn’t happy.”
Scott was attached to direct the 2017 “Blade Runner” sequel, “Blade Runner 2049,” but instead opted to direct “Alien: Covenant,” returning to that franchise instead. Scott still executive produced “Blade Runner 2049,” but Denis Villeneuve directed. “I was regretful, although he did a good job,” Scott said.
The “Alien” franchise is getting a reboot with Scott executive producing. Fede Alvarez directs the upcoming “Alien: Romulus,” which stars Cailee Spaeny and takes place 20 years after the events of Scott’s original “Alien.”
“I really wanted to go back to the sheer horror of the first film, and to take those elements of thriller that ‘Aliens’ has, and ‘Alien 3’ has as well,” Alvarez told Variety. “We went to crazy extents to keep it pure to the filmmaking techniques of the first movie. But if anybody’s worried, ‘Is it going to be too retro?’ Don’t worry, 2023 will pour through every window. There’s no way to stop the modernity of filmmaking. And from that combination of the best of the classics and the best of today, then you have something new.”
Scott’s next film, “Gladiator II,” will be released on November 22. The next film in the “Alien” franchise, “Alien: Romulus,” will be released on August 16. Scott says it is awesome.
Source: Vanity Fair, Empire, Variety
