When Prometheus arrived in theaters in 2012, fans of the influential Alien franchise rejoiced, because Ridley Scott was back directing a new installment of the series he created, and the prequel promised to answer long-gestating questions about the origin of the vicious Xenomorph species. Then, of course, fans actually saw the movie, and found out that the connections to the original series were pretty nebulous and that Prometheus was more interested in asking new questions than answering old ones.
That may finally be about to change. Just days after claiming that the Prometheus series would directly tie int0 the Alien movies (but only after 2-3 more sequels), Ridley Scott has told the website HeyUGuys that the title to the first sequel isn’t Prometheus 2… it’s Alien: Paradise Lost.
“Well actually, really it’s going to be called Alien: Paradise Lost,“ Scott reveals in an exclusive interview. The title obviously refers to the epic poem by John Milton, which details the Biblical “fall of man” and mankind’s expulsion from Eden. The poem is also responsible for many contemporary dramatic interpretations of Satan, and originated the phrase, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
Related: Most Craved Debates The Future of ‘Prometheus’
Despite the heavy historical and religious connotations that come with the new title, however, Scott is quick to point out that the connection is fairly minor, clarifying, “It sounds intellectual but there’s a similarity to it. That’s where it stops.”
Was this a calculated move to interest all Alien fans that the first Prometheus alienated? Or was this all part of the original plan? Who knows? All we do know is that 20th Century Fox apparently doesn’t trust the Prometheus franchise to hold up on its own, if indeed they ever did, and are now eager to bring their influential sci-fi series back to the foreground.
Game on, man. Game on.
Image via 20th Century Fox
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
