I really want to like the idea that Ridley Scott is coming up with a sequel to Prometheus, but I have a few problems:
First, the screenplay was written by Jack Paglen (Transcendence) and Michael Green (Green Lantern), both of whom have written some pretty mediocre movies (and let’s be clear. Why a movie turns out not well can be due to hundreds of variables. That being said, the director takes typically takes the heat–beyond the studios that release it, that is–because they’re the public face of things).
In the ‘Plus’ column, their screenplay was re-written by John Logan (Gladiator, Spectre, Star Trek: Nemesis) so that’s a good thing.
Though what’s most disconcerting (for me at any rate) is that initially Scott was hellbent on not making another Alien movie , though when Neil Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) made it be known that he was interested in doing Alien 5, then suddenly Ridley Scott was once again gung-ho on returning to the sandbox of the Xenomorphs.
The thing is, few other directors–with the exception of perhaps Guillermo Del Toro–have the visual sense of Ridley Scott but if he’s not interested in the subject matter and he’s just going to phone it in, maybe it would be best if he just moves on from the franchise.
And speaking of the sequel to Prometheus The Daily Mail has posted pictures from where the movie is currently shooting in Australia and they look pretty fascinating.
But as I said, Ridley Scott’s movies typically look magnificent. You don’t go into one of his movies expecting them to be anything but visually attractive; it’s the story where his movies, like any other, truth be told, rise or fall.
And I am not at all sure his heart is in it.