'Alien' prequel takes off
Ridley Scott attached to return as director
Source: Variety
Twentieth Century Fox is resuscitating its "Alien" franchise. The studio has hired Jon Spaihts to write a prequel that has Ridley Scott attached to return as director.
Spaihts got the job after pitching the studio and Scott Free, which will produce the film.
The film is set up to be a prequel to the groundbreaking 1979 film that Scott directed. It will precede that film, in which the crew of a commercial towing ship returning to Earth is awakened and sent to respond to a distress signal from a nearby planetoid. The crew discovers too late that the signal generated by an empty ship was meant to warn them.
The deal gives Fox another chance to keep the "Alien" franchise alive. There were three sequels to Scott's original, but it is the first time the director has set his mind on directing one.
Spaihts has become a go-to-guy for space thrillers. After Keanu Reeves became attached to his Warner Bros. sci-fi script "Shadow 19," Reeves hired Spaihts to write the space journey epic "Passengers," which is berthed at Morgan Creek. That script got Spaihts the meeting with Fox and Scott Free, and he won the job with an "Alien" reboot take that the studio and Scott loved.
Fox has separately hired him to rewrite "The Darkest Hour," which Timur Bekmambetov to produce with Tom Jacobson. Spaihts is writing "Children of Mars" for Disney and Scott Rudin, and he will follow by rewriting "St. George and the Dragon" for Sony and Red Wagon.
Ridley Scott Talks Alien Prequel
Source: ShockTillYouDrop
Empire magazine got a chance to talk to director Ridley Scott about the planned Alien prequel.
"It's a brand new box of tricks," said Scott. "We know what the road map is, and the screenplay is now being put on paper. The prequel will be a while ago. It's very difficult to put a year on 'Alien,' but [for example] if 'Alien' was towards the end of this century, then the prequel story will take place thirty years prior."
It was announced this summer that Jon Spaihts was writing the script for the prequel.
Ridley Scott's Alien will be 3-D and—a trilogy, too?
Source: SciFi Wire
All the Alien reboot news that's slowly been coming out over the past year has been exciting, but now we're really starting to salivate.
First we learned there was going be a prequel, and that Tony and Ridley Scott would be involved, though neither would direct. Then we found out that Ridley Scott was stepping in to direct after all. And a few months ago, he let slip a few details about the plot—that the film wouldn't deal with the backstory to that giant alien ship the crew of the Nostromo discovered in his 1979 original movie.
But now it all gets even more interesting, because Roger Christian, art director for the original Alien, spilled big news over at shadowlocked: "Ridley's doing the next Alien in 3D."
And in even bigger news than that, the film may turn out to be the first of a trilogy:
Ridley told me some of his ideas when we were here in Toronto. He has a very clear understanding of where this should go. They kind of stopped dead one of the greatest horror franchises there's ever been, and it had legs to go on. So I'm hoping he'll revive another three. The world certainly wants it, and the fans want it—everybody.
Now, perhaps Christian is only speaking for himself and not Scott with his talk of a three-quel. But it does make us wonder whether the two have discussed the possibility, and whether it could be more than just idle speculation.
In any case, even if the trilogy talk is just a rumor, the 3-D sounds solid, so—can you think of any scene better suited for 3-D than an Alien chestburster? Not us!
Exclusive: Ridley Scott Reveals 'Alien' Prequel Details
'I've always avoided sequels, unless I felt there was something fresh,' director says of returning to 1979 classic.
Source: MTV
It isn't overstating things to say that Ridley Scott is among the greatest filmmakers of all time, and "Alien" is among the greatest films of all time. So how could anyone not be eager to learn every little detail about his prequel to the 1979 classic?
On Thursday (April 22), we caught up with the "Robin Hood" director to speak with him for next week's MTV Summer Movie Preview. And when he mentioned that he was feasting his eyes upon the latest "Untitled 'Alien' Prequel" script pages, we couldn't help but ask some questions.
What followed might be the most revealing interview Sir Ridley has given thus far on the top-secret project. Read on for exclusive details concerning the prequel's plot, creature design and the woman — not named Sigourney Weaver — who will soon be kicking alien ass:
MTV: We're very excited about your return to the "Aliens" world — what's going on with it at this point?
Ridley Scott: As we speak, I've got a pile of pages next to me; it's like the fourth draft. It's a work in progress, but we're not dreaming it up anymore. We know what the story is. We're now actually trying to improve the three acts and make the characters better, build it up to something [we can shoot]. It's a work in progress, but we're actually making the film. There's no question about it, we're going to make the film.
MTV: Awesome.
Scott: Now it's a matter of, how good can I get the screenplay in the next few weeks so I can get a good ballpark figure of what it will cost. I've already got people working graphically on designs for the various requirements of the film.
MTV: Since this is a prequel, will you need to make the ships more primitive-looking than in "Alien"?
Scott: It's set in 2085, about 30 years before Sigourney [Weaver's character Ellen Ripley]. It's fundamentally about going out to find out 'Who the hell was that Space Jockey?' The guy who was sitting in the chair in the alien vehicle — there was a giant fellow sitting in a seat on what looked to be either a piece of technology or an astronomer's chair. Remember that?
MTV: Of course.
Scott: And our man [Tom Skerritt as Captain Dallas] climbs up and says "There's been an explosion in his chest from the inside out — what was that?" I'm basically explaining who that Space Jockey — we call him the Space Jockey — I'm explaining who the space jockeys were.
MTV: And is the Weyland-Yutani company in existence at this point?
Scott: It's Weyland. Weyland hasn't joined Yutani yet, so they go and see Weyland. [The film] is about the discussion of terraforming — taking planets and planetoids and balls of earth and trying to terraform, seed them with the possibilities of future life.
MTV: We know how obsessive "Alien" fans can get. Are you going to make a film that doesn't require having seen any of the other movies?
Scott: Totally. Yes. [People will still get it], because there's a lot of copying, dude.
MTV: There's a lot of copying of your movies.
Scott: There's a lot of homage. Is that the polite word? Homage? I call it something else. [Laughs.]
MTV: Will Sigourney Weaver have any participation at all?
Scott: It will be before she was born!
MTV: So not even a voice-over, explaining things? Nothing?
Scott: Well, the main character [in the prequel] will be a woman, yeah. We're thinking it could go down that route, yeah. When I started the original "Alien," Ripley wasn't a woman, it was a guy. During casting, we thought, "Why don't we make it a woman?"
MTV: So will you be creating new aliens for your prequel?
Scott: What you have to do is — were there four or five "Alien" films? I can't remember how many followed.
MTV: There were three after you, then the "Alien vs. Predator" nonsense.
Scott: Yeah, the thing about "Alien vs. Predator" is, I know it's commerce, but what a pity. I think, therefore, I have to design — or redesign — earlier versions of what these elements are that led to the thing you finally see in "Alien," which is the thing that catapults out of the egg, the face-hugger.
MTV: OK.
Scott: I don't want to repeat it. The alien in a sense, as a shape, is worn out.
MTV: Will you consult the original alien designer, H.R. Giger, on these ideas?
Scott: Yeah, he's still around. Once I get more serious and get going, and the big wheels start turning, we'll certainly talk. And maybe we'll come up with something completely different.
MTV: In your mind, when do cameras begin rolling on the film?
Scott: We're hoping to have it in theaters in late 2011, or maybe the best date in 2012.
MTV: Have you given any thought on how you'll feel when you walk on set that first time, how you'll deal with the déjà vu from 1979?
Scott: Yeah, it'll be weird, because I always said I'll never do a sequel. [Laughs.]
MTV: What made you change your mind?
Scott: Honestly? They've squeezed the franchise dry. The first one will always be the most frightening, because the beast we put together with Giger and all its parts — the face-hugger, the chest-burster, the egg — they were all totally original, and that's hard to follow. ... I've always avoided sequels, unless I felt there was something fresh.
RIDLEY SCOTT, everybody:
Quote from: MacGuffin on April 23, 2010, 12:07:21 PM
MTV: Are you going to make a film that doesn't require having seen any of the other movies?
Scott: Totally. Yes. [People will still get it], because there's a lot of copying, dude.
and then later..
Quote from: MacGuffin on April 23, 2010, 12:07:21 PM
Scott: What you have to do is — were there four or five "Alien" films? I can't remember how many followed.
haha ridley you are the man. i always imagine him wearing beach shorts and a shirt like he's in hawaii or something..
these quotes make perfect sense for that image. what a funny old man..
Next Hot Female Role: Noomi Rapace In Hunt For Ridley Scott's 3D 'Alien' Prequel
By MIKE FLEMING; Deadline Hollywood
Now that Rooney Mara got the Lisbeth Salander role in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Emma Stone got the Gwen Stacy role in Spider-Man and Sandra Bullock is in talks for Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, the next juicy female role is the lead in the Ridley Scott-directed 3D Alien prequel at 20th Century Fox. I'm told that the studio and Scott have had general meetings with a number of actresses. I've heard that list includes the studio's Wall Street 2 star Carey Mulligan and Abbie Cornish (Scott directed her in A Good Year). But another intriguing possibility I've heard more than once today is that Noomi Rapace also met and left a strong impression.
The actress, who played Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish adaptation, met Scott and Fox before she signed on to co-star in the Sherlock Holmes sequel. I'm told that meetings are ongoing with cast and no decisions have been made, but I could see Rapace taking a Ripley-esque turn in space.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiewire.com%2Fstatic%2Fdims4%2FINDIEWIRE%2Fd6bb5a7%2F4102462740%2Fthumbnail%2F680x478%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fd1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net%2Fef%2Feea120273c11e197b6123138165f92%2Ffile%2Ftrailer-for-ridley-scotts-alien-film-prometheus.jpg&hash=0f900d9c605ef698dbf4389ace19d23fca10a4ee)
Ridley Scott's "Alien Prequel"
Trailer (http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a355315/prometheus-trailer-sees-ridley-scott-revisit-the-world-of-alien.htm)
That trailer was pretty fucking awesome. Except for Fassbenders blond hair. wtf. But the rest of it was good. It was just like the Alien trailer. Same font and title card and editing. :yabbse-thumbup:
That was exciting.
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEVY_lonKf4) is a pretty awesome trailer.
This trailer played before Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I liked that not one audience member put together that it had anything to do with the Alien franchise. That was a bold choice, and my audience must not have seen Alien.
Quote from: ddiggler on December 27, 2011, 12:48:56 AM
This trailer played before Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I liked that not one audience member put together that it had anything to do with the Alien franchise. That was a bold choice, and my audience must not have seen Alien.
How nice of everyone in the audience to fill out your post-trailers poll.
Quote from: Tictacbk on December 27, 2011, 12:03:58 PM
Quote from: ddiggler on December 27, 2011, 12:48:56 AM
This trailer played before Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and I liked that not one audience member put together that it had anything to do with the Alien franchise. That was a bold choice, and my audience must not have seen Alien.
How nice of everyone in the audience to fill out your post-trailers poll.
They didn't have to with how loud their reactions were.
Maybe they did know but hated the last four Alien films.
Quote from: squints on December 23, 2011, 04:33:13 PM
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEVY_lonKf4) is a pretty awesome trailer.
thanks for that, because it reminded me that i have never seen Alien, ive only seen 3 and 4... :yabbse-smiley:
Quote from: MacGuffin on December 27, 2011, 04:03:50 PM
Maybe they did know but hated the last four Alien films.
I would love to think that but based on their overwhelmingly positive reaction to that horrible The Devil Inside trailer I don't think that's the case.
I haven't been to the theater in a while...
HOLY Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Close the 2012 polls. Trailer of the year is here*
Best part was at 1:54 when milf redhead is watching something brutally frightening and tragic unfolding O.C. that she can barely comprehend and can't do anything about (her reaction is epic) while some dude is obviously getting curb stomped and screaming, "CUT IT OFF! CUT IT OFF!"
Made some screenshots of some interesting things...
Who's this little guy? You can't see it in the pic, but he was breathing heavily in the trailer.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi43.tinypic.com%2F1448oj9.png&hash=86e7e988d4874efeb8cde8291942de343aeabfd7)
Facehugger. Definitely.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi39.tinypic.com%2F122fbm9.png&hash=de634643e5cc89677b634fb0795f951fb5c9db2a)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi42.tinypic.com%2F1so2ll.png&hash=9d2dccf6603354e4b944d1015f1c21311fb58429)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi44.tinypic.com%2F30dgknm.png&hash=b586e5c27713de864b90b2e685b6b7fb2c6c9a88)
See it? There! Above whitey tighties head!
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi43.tinypic.com%2Fb9387.png&hash=58113de76236468e8e8422502c3a9c61e8c55c09)
Xenomorph for sure.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.tinypic.com%2Fdn0ow4.png&hash=38b2cf06bb3ef0bc221d1dfcaa535061f22e353f)
Who's this big guy? Maybe the little guy all growed up?
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi39.tinypic.com%2Fim81lz.png&hash=ed3da849b3b01699391cc283260d5502da35833d)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi39.tinypic.com%2Fxmk29s.png&hash=2b18d22d7f15eaf107cc726a3ef8828fbf8a8ead)
Big guy again?
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi44.tinypic.com%2Fxkq2z6.png&hash=c73e71b042e912fb2acda5062055e866e632e8e8)
It's definitely harking back to Ridley Scott's Alien, which is a good thing since Alien is one of the greatest movies of all-time, but it also seems to be more about something different, which is also cool and intriguing. My only worry is that the big guy could turn out to be something silly like the Xenomorph/Ripley hybrid in Jean-Pierre Juenet's beautifully flawed Alien: Resurrection. Remember that Alien movie? Where Ripley is slam dunking basketballs? That was really something. It's probably a silly worry because this looks really awesome.
Off topic sort of, but remember Danny Boyle's movie, Sunshine, and how perfect it was until the third act when a creature showed up and made everything about the flick dumb?
*Since The Master will be excluded.
Take it back! The latter half of the film was awesome to me.
Pretty cool trailer though. I've never really liked Scotts films, not even Blade Runner that much, but I'm looking forward to seeing this one because I did however enjoy Alien quite a bit.
Quote from: S.R. on March 18, 2012, 12:18:55 AM
Who's this little guy? You can't see it in the pic, but he was breathing heavily in the trailer.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi43.tinypic.com%2F1448oj9.png&hash=86e7e988d4874efeb8cde8291942de343aeabfd7)
Who's this big guy?
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi39.tinypic.com%2Fim81lz.png&hash=ed3da849b3b01699391cc283260d5502da35833d)
My only worry is that the big guy could turn out to be something silly like the Xenomorph/Ripley hybrid in Jean-Pierre Juenet's beautifully flawed Alien: Resurrection.
That guy is in the original Alien. He's the Space Jockey. He's thought to be the pilot of the ship they find the alien eggs on.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.wikia.com%2Favp%2Fimages%2F4%2F42%2FSpace-jockey-alien-3_1199468861_640w.jpg&hash=993011d8c873365c57592a89362b76b2d250dfdc)
This looks interesting. It's fun that everyone on the internet is clamoring over the mystery of it. I love that they're not outright claiming this to be a prequel to Alien, as I'm sure that was a battle with the marketing department.
I don't think it is a prequel, it's set after the others but is also an origin story. At least this is what I've read.
Quote from: socketlevel on March 20, 2012, 06:56:08 PM
I don't think it is a prequel, it's set after the others but is also an origin story. At least this is what I've read.
Where do you get that? Everything I've read and seen indicates it takes place before Alien.
I thought the whole point from way back when they started developing the story was that they STARTED writing a prequel but that it ended up being something else, independent of the alien quadrilogy. Didn't anyone else read all those articles?
Please someone verify that this isn't a straight up prequel (although it does appear to be exactly that), as I totally schooled someone today for suggesting it.
Did ridley scott and damon lindelof just pretend it wasn't a prequel just to distance the hype away from the disappointing later entries in the series? Internet sleuths, get to work! My reputation at the water cooler depends on it.
http://collider.com/ridley-scott-damon-lindelof-michael-fassbender-prometheus-interview/153243/
Since you're leaving this film open with these bigger ideas that could lead to another film, would you take that film closer to the Alien franchise, or would it be its own different storyline?
LINDELOF: I think that's actually a really insightful question. This word "prequel" was on the table. It was the elephant in the room and had to be discussed. When I had first heard that Ridley was going to direct an Alien prequel, and then six months later my phone rang and the voice on the other end said, "Are you available to talk to Ridley Scott?," and then I crashed into a telephone pole, I answered the call and Ridley was like, "Hey, man, I'm going to send you a script tonight." And, he doesn't know he's Ridley Scott. So, I read this thing and we had a meeting, and he was already very clearly saying, "I want to come back to this genre. I want to do sci-fi again. I feel like this movie is just a little bit too close to Alien. I've done this stuff before. But, there are big ideas in it that are unique, in and of themselves. Is there a way to do that?" I said, "I think that that's what we have to do." If there were a sequel to this movie, it would not be Alien. Normally, that's the definition of a prequel. It precedes the other movies. The Star Wars prequels are going to end with Darth Vader going, "Noooo!," unfortunately. There's an inevitability, in watching a prequel, where you're like, "Okay, if the ending of this movie is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into, that's full of eggs, there's nothing interesting in that because we know where it's going to end. With really good stories, you don't know where it's going to end. So, this movie, hopefully, will contextualize the original Alien, so that when you watch it again, maybe you know a little bit more. But, you don't fuck around with that movie. It has to stand on its own. It's a classic. If we're fortunate enough to do a sequel to Prometheus, it will tangentialize even further away from the original Alien. When you go to the concert that is this movie, you want the Stones to play "Satisfaction." There is this sense of us saying, "We want you to do something new, Ridley, but just give us a little bit of space jockey. Just play it! Even in the encore." And, I think Ridley has given us the movie that I think we all want to see.
I love Damon Lindelof.
His Twitter is the best Twitter.
I like this approach to the film. It exists in the story world of Alien, and has familiar iconography to the Alien films, but it's not hostage to the bullshit fanwank that a prequel typically requires. Of course, there's still the chance that it's all a smoke-screen and the movie will end with Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver coming around the corner and winking at the camera in freeze-frame as the credits roll. Based on Ridley Scott's recent career, it wouldn't be all that shocking.
Quote from: ddiggler on March 19, 2012, 11:36:33 PM
This looks interesting. It's fun that everyone on the internet is clamoring over the mystery of it. I love that they're not outright claiming this to be a prequel to Alien, as I'm sure that was a battle with the marketing department.
or the opposite, i'm not sure the alien franchise has the clout it once did.
Quote from: socketlevel on March 25, 2012, 11:51:40 AM
Quote from: ddiggler on March 19, 2012, 11:36:33 PM
This looks interesting. It's fun that everyone on the internet is clamoring over the mystery of it. I love that they're not outright claiming this to be a prequel to Alien, as I'm sure that was a battle with the marketing department.
or the opposite, i'm not sure the alien franchise has the clout it once did.
nevermind
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oCPGbPbzLQ
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi7.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy251%2Ffbv%2Fdavid-8.jpg&hash=a00503c1ee433b6b0d752eba80e667bd028f0d02)
shouldnt have watched that :doh:
BTW: that David viral is directed by a guy ive been following for years, Johnny Hardstaff (http://www.johnnyhardstaff.com/)
(awesome porn name)this is one of his earlier pieces that he did for PS2 featuring PT's ma-in-law (RIP):
you can find most of his other stuff on youtube too! i suggest headphoning up, spending some time, and getting to know the guy
Ok, I officially don't give a crap anymore.
can someone explain the graphics to me? I don't get it at all.
Haha earliest backlash ever.
They need to stop with the viral videos and retain as much mystery as possible.
I saw this.
Visually, it is breathtaking. Otherwise, it's disappointing. I'll still probably see it again.
It's also probably the best use of 3D in a live-action film that I've ever seen.
This seems to be exactly what most people whose opinions I value are saying.
I'm still excited, but have lowered my expectations.
I've seen it (in 2D)....such a disappointment. The script is super poor, the characters are especially weak, the set-pieces pretty dry and the plot full of holes. But I did see the restored print of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and The Raid this week, so no hard feelings Ridley...
I saw it 3D and my thoughts are more or less the same. The themes are interesting, and the first 30 minutes or so (except for the first scene) are interesting, but it then goes downhill (Sunshine style) and becomes such a generic big studio blockbuster with a couple of good moments, a lot of bad ones, badly edited action pieces and Guy Pearce appearing as an old man for apparently no reason whatsoever.
I agree, just another big, dumb, generic studio movie. The first scene was dodgy as hell and people laughed in the cinema when Guy Pearce arrived in the WORST old man make-up, EVER. I hope they leave Blade Runner alone.
spoilers...
So there were 4 aliens right? Or were there only 3, but 6 if you count humans? And what about the aborted octopus, is that an alien or a human? It came from both. Was the robot a human or alien? He wasn't human, but he hated his parents.
This flick was a mess. Why did the old guy who only had 2 days to live show up randomly and bring muscle with him then always say, "no, no, it's okay. I can get out of this wheelchair myself, thank you." And how come the religious lady was able to get a robotic morning after abortion but then go do slow-motion karate an hour later? :ponder:
I liked it a lot. It's got plenty of dumbness but overall I was really happy with it. Lowered expectations helped.
Spoilers
So for the first 20-30 min I liked the film (besides the engineer opening/title sequence.) I enjoyed the crew searching the engineer ship/caverns and finding the room which housed all the egg/jars, I thought that was really reminiscent of the first Alien film and I was starting to think to myself "this is going to be great." However, after that it pretty much turns into a dumb Hollywood flick. I didn't feel anything towards the characters, Guy Pearce showing up in old man make-up was pointless, and Charlize Theron's dialogue with Weyland where she drops the father "bomb" was awful. Fassbender was my favorite part of the film, and I loved his scene where he's the only one up on the ship and it shows what is daily routine/activities are.
Quote from: Ghostboy on June 10, 2012, 10:33:16 AM
Lowered expectations helped.
Yeah, thanks to everyone who took that bullet for us after-the-weekend watchers
Yeah, I have spent the last month lowering my expectations for this movie and ended up enjoying myself.
The 3D was impressive and it was a pretty movie.
Enjoyable!
BUT... the screenplay was so goddamn bad. I think Damon Lindelof is just obsessed with planting seeds and making people wonder "what's this thing that this person is doing?" and "ooooh, this certainly is mysterious" and doesn't give a shit about making a real story happen while those seeds are being planted... we all know that he never pays out on all that seed planting either.
Chalk this one up as a fun 'L'.
Minor Spoilers
Why's everyone hating on the opening/first scene? I saw it after I had read some of the comments here so maybe I was expecting it to totally suck but got something that wasn't all that terrible so I thought it was alright. either way I found it strange that it stuck out to some of you as just bad. It was nothing extravagant but I thought some cool shit went down. The engineer looked creepy and I thought it was shot well with all the landscapes leading up to it. It definitely made me wonder where the ships were from and why he's carrying out that drinking ritual. all in all i thought it was a solid start. I liked the film as a whole too. I guess some of it seemed derivative but it looked great and it gave me much more satisfaction as a summer blockbuster than the avengers. this was a good time for me.
**SPOILERS**
Prometheus Secrets Revealed: What Did David Say to the Engineer?
Source: Movieline
Of the many, many unexplained puzzles left untangled in Ridley Scott's Prometheus, one deliberately vague scene has had Prometheus-watchers scratching their heads and speculating for weeks — let's call it the "Lost in Translation" question. So what did Michael Fassbender's David say, in non-translated ancient alien-speak, to a certain you-know-who in Prometheus? Actual answers within!
Spoilers follow.
Over at The Bioscopist blog, Stu Holmes was wondering the same question when he managed to track down the real-life linguistics expert who served as consultant on the film, Dr. Anil Biltoo of London's SOAS Language Centre. Biltoo not only taught Fassbender how to speak in Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language as the android David — seen studying ancient communication as the crew sleeps in the film's opening measures — he also appeared onscreen as the holographic linguistics teacher David learns from as he recites the real-life text Schleicher's Fable, a story created in 1868 in the reconstructed PIE language.
While Scott, Damon Lindelof, and Co. remain mum about Prometheus's many open-ended provocations, Biltoo revealed what it is that David whispers to the Engineer at the end of the film, setting off the being's violent rampage:
The line that David speaks to the Engineer (which is from a longer sequence that didn't make the final edit) is as follows:
/ida hmanəm aɪ kja namṛtuh zdɛ:taha/.../ghʷɪvah-pjorn-ɪttham sas da:tṛ kredah/
A serviceable translation into English is:
'This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life'.
Aha! So... according to Dr. Biltoo, David did as directed by Weyland, with no funny business involved. I'd entertained the thought that David had deliberately provoked the Engineer into attacking Weyland, but Biltoo sets the record, and David, straight: A loyal robot to the end. Kinda. The revelation also supports the idea that the Engineers were set on punishing humanity for their flaws and hubris, though why the Engineer then tore off David's head is still a mystery.
More intriguing is what Dr. Biltoo shares about that scene: There was a full conversation in the PIE language between David and the Engineer. "We're all going to have to wait for the director's cut to see if the conversation between the Engineer and David — and there was indeed originally a conversation, not merely an utterance from David — yields any fruit," he said.
SPOILERS I just got back from seeing Prometheus. I wasn't sure to expect after seeing article headlines about why it sucked then seeing another why it was great. I enjoyed Alien and didn't care for Aliens. If you're aware of screenwriting books, Alien and Aliens are described as being the only films that the original and it's sequel that are different genres. Alien is horror while Aliens is straight action. I felt Prometheus was a straight Sci Fi film. I really enjoy films that don't spell everything out so that's why I enjoyed this film so much. I was so interested to what was going on under the surface of the story or "why did they create life?" "why were they wanting to destroy it?"
Maybe David was right there wasn't a great answer to why they created life. But I think it's in the Engineers nature of sacrifice and creation. It's in their nature to create life. While it's in human nature to destroy and for self interest. This is why they were planning to destroy earth. The engineers died around 2000 years ago in the film. That's right around the time of Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus who shares the engineers nature of self sacrifice and creation. I imagine the engineers didn't want their failure to find their invitation and then find them or continue to spread throughout the universe.
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 21, 2012, 03:22:09 PM
Aha! So... according to Dr. Biltoo, David did as directed by Weyland, with no funny business involved. I'd entertained the thought that David had deliberately provoked the Engineer into attacking Weyland, but Biltoo sets the record, and David, straight: A loyal robot to the end. Kinda. The revelation also supports the idea that the Engineers were set on punishing humanity for their flaws and hubris, though why the Engineer then tore off David's head is still a mystery.
My original thought, which seems supported by continued research on the film, was that the engineer, who at first seemed friendly, became hostile after realizing David is an android. The engineer was at first glad to see the humans have flourished becoming what they originally hoped. Then the engineer realizes nothing has changed. They're only their for their self interests of longer life. And they are now able to create a life which is David. David as it was pointed out multiple times during the film is soulless. So humans have created life in our image or in the image of how the engineers sees us which is soulless.
That's why I enjoyed the film cause of all this reading into the story that i'm able to do now.
UPDATE: This guy has put a lot more thought into than I have or would. http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html (http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html)
SPOILERS
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spoils
the problem with this movie has little to do with ambiguous mythology stuff. i love ambiguity. i hate confusion. every character in this movie is confused. Prometheus fails as a Story.
- noomi's character cries about never being able to have a child and then immediately has to abort her new baby, which is the last remnant of her dead boyfriend. sure it's mysterious and a little suspicious, but she makes the leap to abortion without a shred of doubt or hesitation.
- her dead boyfriend sucks. terrible performance. he also makes big motivational leaps that don't make much sense like when he decides to get flamed to death. sure he was in pain but was he in worse pain that getting fucking FLAMED to death? was that really the better option? the fact that he can still calmly say "do it" suggests no. this could have been solved by the ridley on the day. "pretend like getting fucking flamed would be better than this."
- idris is charming as hell but there is nothing in the movie to back up the idea that this guy would suicide bomb an alien ship. don't get me started on those other two characters who join in who we only know through a boring recurring betting subplot that is paid off with a SPONTANEOUS SUICIDE PACT.
- noomi and charlize run in a straight line away from a crashing straight line. then for some reason noomi realizes that running at a right angle would be more effective. charlize does not.
- there is no motivation for charlize to say FATHER the way she does aside from prodding the audience with this astounding revelation.
- the geologist is crazy from the first minute. he has a face tattoo. why would you hire the only face tattoo geologist in the world? you have billions of dollars. why does the geologist feel the need to yell in noomi's face when he decides he doesn't like the cave? he was already on his way out. he could have easily just kept walking.
- damon lindelof has a really tough time writing interactions between characters that aren't somehow aggressive. everyone hates everyone else and wants to fight. no one can get along even for a moment. not even a robot. seriously almost every interaction in this movie is another person subtly or unsubtly lashing out at the other. even just before sexy times.
- the most obvious case of crazy motivation is the petting of the snakey vagina alien thing. that scene would have still been scary and made sense if he wasn't trying to pet it and make friends for no reason. not one person who has seen this movie thought the snake was going to be friendly.
i'm sure there are dozens of things i'm forgetting... this movie feels like a dream someone had and then they transcribed it into a movie. it has nifty elements and textures but it is in no way ready to be a movie.
SPOILERS
Quote from: picolas on June 25, 2012, 01:22:11 PM
spoils
- noomi's character cries about never being to have a child and then immediately has to abort her new baby, which is the last remnant of her dead boyfriend. sure it's mysterious and a little suspicious, but she makes the leap to abortion without a shred of doubt or hesitation.
She's pregnant 3 months along after unable to bear children, 2 years in hyper sleep and having sex 11 hours ago... I think that's more than "a little suspicious." Plus, I think she was able to see the screen with the "fetus" despite David hiding it.
Quote from: picolas on June 25, 2012, 01:22:11 PM
spoils
- her dead boyfriend sucks. terrible performance. he also makes big motivational leaps that don't make much sense like when he decides to get flamed to death. sure he was in pain but was he in worse pain that getting fucking FLAMED to death? was that really the better option? the fact that he can still calmly say "do it" suggests no. this could have been solved by the ridley on the day. "pretend like getting fucking flamed would be better than this."
He's sick. And he knows he's sick in an abnormal way. Burning himself isn't a pain decision. The easiest way to prevent the spread of the virus he has is by fire.
SPOILS
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 25, 2012, 02:01:30 PMShe's pregnant 3 months along after unable to bear children, 2 years in hyper sleep and having sex 11 hours ago... I think that's more than "a little suspicious." Plus, I think she was able to see the screen with the "fetus" despite David hiding it.
all good points. i'm not saying she shouldn't have come to that Conclusion, but the way she arrived at it, and the urgency of her behaviour rang false. she still has a considerable amount of time before the thing hatches at the rate it's going. probably a day.
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 25, 2012, 02:01:30 PMHe's sick. And he knows he's sick in an abnormal way. Burning himself isn't a pain decision. The easiest way to prevent the spread of the virus he has is by fire.
but flaming is the most painful thing he could do. why not just ask someone to shoot him? another storm will send his corpse across the planet. he's already exposed noomi etc. it's just soooo rash. he's sick "in an abnormal way". agreed. does that mean he has to be destroyed immediately? he has no idea what's going on.
SPOILS (admin edit)
Quote from: picolas on June 25, 2012, 02:21:32 PM
but flaming is the most painful thing he could do. why not just ask someone to shoot him? another storm will send his corpse across the planet. he's already exposed noomi etc. it's just soooo rash. he's sick "in an abnormal way". agreed. does that mean he has to be destroyed immediately? he has no idea what's going on.
But he does know what's going on. He was present to see the head explode after they revived it.
SPOILS
how does he know that's the same thing? the head explosion didn't kill anyone. maybe he caught it from that? in which case everyone is probably already infected or immune. on top of that it's still really rash to ask someone to flame you to death when you could just as easily be shot.
Jon Spaihts Confirms His Leaked 'Prometheus' Script, Titled 'Alien: Engineers' Is Legit; 6 Things That Changed In The Original Script
Source: Playlist
There are two types of "Prometheus" fans: those who are huge fans of the "Alien" franchise and thus have poured over every ounce of the amazing bounty of extras in the "Prometheus" Blu-Ray, and those who are more casual, who want to know a bit more, are perhaps a bit puzzled and intrigued by the Damon Lindelof-penned, Ridley Scott-directed sorta-prequel to the 1979 film. We'll assume you're in the latter camp.
What's likely old hat for you right now is that Spaihts -- largely known as the go-to guy for space thrillers after his sci-fi romance "Passengers" hit the Black List (Keanu Reeves had hired him to write the script) -- was tasked to write a more or less direct prequel to "Alien." This meant following the familiar beats including xenomorphs, face-huggers, etc. -- all the traditional elements of an "Alien" franchise film. Somewhere in that development process Ridley Scott changed his mind and felt he needed something less direct.
He asked Damon Lindelof what he thought, and the screenwriter candidly told him they needed to go in a more autonomous direction with less direct lineage to "Alien," and the result is what you see on screen with "Prometheus," which both enraged and thrilled fans with its mysteriousness (something that we should all realize has been completely revealed/solved by Ridley Scott in various interviews, including the commentary on the "Prometheus" DVD where every character's intention is spelled out in big, bold letters).
Over the weekend the screenplay "Alien: Engineers" leaked online, and despite a lot of skepticism, Spaihts himself verified its authenticity. So what changed from Spaihts' draft to Lindelof's? Well, considering Lindelof was hired to deconstruct it somewhat and dial back its connection to "Alien," quite a lot.
Here is what we learned from reading the script and paying deep attention to the commentary track featuring Spaihts and Lindelof.
1. One version of his script had the explorers discovering a star map under water.
Though Spaihts says there were several versions of this scene, his favorite was cut for budgetary reasons: it was a submarine expedition in the Mediterranean, at a sunken city. On the commentary track he explained they found a giant tablet with a starmap on it. Another version had the starmap found on Mars. This version of "Alien: Engineer" has the underwater scene in it.
2. Mars factored in more than once.
Spaihts reiterates in the commentary that the the biggest changes in his version of the script were the shying away from xenomorphs and chestbursters, and structural differences, placing similar types of information in different places, or rewriting them in different ways. In one of Spaihts' original drafts, there was 20 minutes of Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) pitching their trip to Weyland, and similar info that was eventually delivered in the starmaps exposition scene in the final film. One scene had them visiting Weyland in a space station above Earth, much like the one in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Another scene had them visiting Weyland on Mars where his house had a view of the terraforming taking place on the planet.
3. Shaw was originally called Watts, and the relationship between her and Holloway was different.
Shaw was Holloway's younger student in Spaihts' drafts and then they got together. It was a sort of "inappropriate" age difference, he said on the commentary, but that changed in Lindelof's script. There's some evidence of that in "Alien: Engineer" -- Holloway says she was his student specifically -- but it appears to be a backstory that Spaihts had in his head.
4. Spaihts Explains why Milburn and Fifield were such idiot scientists in the film.
One of the biggest complaints in the film is how the scientists Milburn (Rafe Spall) and Fifield (Sean Harris) are complete idiots. The geo-tracker Fifield manages to get them lost, and the biologist Milburn essentially plays "here kitty kitty" with what looks like a deadly alien snake. "Milburn and Fifefield, for two people scared to death, do an enormous amount of poking around," Spaihts admitted on the commentary track. "You and I in this scenario would run as far away as possible." Spaihts explains that Milburn, however is a xenobiologist, and he's very excited and interested in this creature. He also laments the loss of dropping a previous scene (present on the DVD extras), where Milburn is extremely excited about finding evidence of life in a very harmless looking worm (the entire team is elated and practically do high fives). "It really showed how excited Milburn was by experiencing any extra-terrestrial, sophisticated life. That sort of explains why he's acting like a complete utter moron here. The last thing you do when you see a snake in the wild is get your face really close to it and start smiling and extending your hand like you wanna pet it."
5. Ridley Scott had the idea of the ship ramming another ship in the climax.
Here's possibly a good example of what screenwriters have to face in Hollywood sometimes, especially when working with a well-known director. Spaihts said Ridley Scott conceived of the idea of the Prometheus ship ramming itself into the Engineer's Juggernaut ship. Why? It was Spaihts job to discover that, to "justify it and build a ramp to that moment and figure out how your hero can survive that and how the plot will allow for it. "
6. Spaights invented the horrific caesarean section scene and more.
Spaihts said he wrote 5 drafts in total, with the first one tied to the derelict ship in "Alien" very directly, and in which the crews would move back and forth between these ships. But things soon evolved. The juggernaut ship was the primary location in Spaihts first draft, but by the last one, it was just something hidden within the larger pyramid framework as you see in "Prometheus."
The medpod and caesarean section scenes were all his idea. Spaihts said he thought what got him the job in the first place was pitching the idea of the heroine getting impregnated by a facehugger/alien and then surviving it via a medical process. Spaihts' version also had Fifield (Sean Harris) come back as a mutated creature, but in his version, Fifield killed Vickers.
Recorded before "Prometheus" hit theaters, the screenwriters' commentary track is worth listening to, at the very least to hear Lindelof seemingly acutely aware of just how much audiences might hate him for the final version of the film (he apologizes often) and to hear Spaihts mildly complain about what's missing in the film from his drafts.
Best Quotes:
Lindelof: "Or you hate me. One of the things I love to do in my writing is not answer things definitively. As frustrating as this is I rely much more on the human imagination and your ability to theorize what may have happened. Although that may be frustrating, it's what makes people talk about movies when they're over."
Spaihts: "That is the thing I miss most. David deliberately exposing our heroine to a facehugger, and her knowing, having seen what happened to her lover that she had hours to bloodily and painfully save herself."
Read Spaihts script, or at least one version of it, here. If this just scratches the surface of your nerd itch, go to AVPGalaxy for more differences in the screenplay.
http://www.prometheus-movie.com/uploads/112142280-Alien-Engineers.pdf
Quote from: MacGuffin on November 12, 2012, 06:18:45 PM
Jon Spaihts Confirms His Leaked 'Prometheus' Script, Titled 'Alien: Engineers' Is Legit; 6 Things That Changed In The Original Script
Source: Playlist
Best Quotes:
Lindelof: "Or you hate me. One of the things I love to do in my writing is not answer things definitively. As frustrating as this is I rely much more on the human imagination and your ability to theorize what may have happened. Although that may be frustrating, it's what makes people talk about movies when they're over."
can we all agree that this is just the new thing that hacks say now?
Quote from: pete on November 13, 2012, 03:02:26 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on November 12, 2012, 06:18:45 PM
Jon Spaihts Confirms His Leaked 'Prometheus' Script, Titled 'Alien: Engineers' Is Legit; 6 Things That Changed In The Original Script
Source: Playlist
Best Quotes:
Lindelof: "Or you hate me. One of the things I love to do in my writing is not answer things definitively. As frustrating as this is I rely much more on the human imagination and your ability to theorize what may have happened. Although that may be frustrating, it's what makes people talk about movies when they're over."
can we all agree that this is just the new thing that hacks say now?
That was my initial reaction as well. Though, on the other hand I do hate it when movies are tied up with a nice bow. So I think my real issue is formula, and not that I'm against formula, but moreso I dislike it when I can see it and/or it's self aware. Lindelof is essentially presenting his method by approaching it the exact same way as the inverse. He is talking about the effects of revealing something or not revealing it, and in turn so do the storytellers he is trying to separate himself from. Ironically he is creating a cliche of vagueness. You can see this as early as Lost; the red herring for the red herrings sake.
It is much more challenging to write something well and not beat it over the audiences head, but in a sense not beating it over the audiences head is exactly what Lindelof is beating over our heads. It's poorly motivated.
So ya, I more or less agree on a case by case basis.
damon lindelof just did rewrites on this movie, from what i read it doesn't really seem like its his baby the way lost was.
'Prometheus' Sequel Moving Forward at Fox
Jack Palgen to Write the Script; Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender Expected to Return
Source: Variety
Fox and Ridley Scott are getting closer to returning to space as Jack Palgen ("Transcendence") is in talks to write the follow-up to last year's sci-fi blockbuster, "Prometheus."
Scott will produce again through his Scott Free banner though it's unknown at this time if he will direct. Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are also expected to return.
Plot details are still be worked out but Scott has said in interviews that while the first "Prometheus" had several elements linking it to the "Alien" franchise, this latest installment will feel more like its own film.
Despite not having a greenlight, the sci-fi movie's new screenwriter is a good sign for a project Fox has been wary of committing to even though the last installment, written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, made more than $400 million worldwide.
For Palgen, the film marks his second high-profile project following Wally Pfister and Johnny Depp's sci-fi thriller "Transcendence," which opens next April.