Ridley Scott has confirmed that a third film in the Alien prequel series, serving as a direct sequel to 2017's Alien: Covenant, is in development. The new movie will reportedly continue the story of the android David, portrayed by Michael Fassbender.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Scott stated that the film will explore David creating a "brave new world for himself." The director expressed his fascination with the character and the concept of a malfunctioning AI, noting, "AIs can go off. And if they do, it’s like a bomb." Scott also shared concerns about the future of artificial intelligence, preferring to direct movies about AI rather than utilize it in his own filmmaking.
Scott, who helmed the original 1979 film Alien, also directed Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant. Prometheus followed a Weyland Corporation research team's discovery of dangerous bioweapons on a mission to find the origin of human life, with the android David becoming increasingly fixated on these alien organisms and disengaged from humanity. Alien: Covenant saw a group of space colonists encountering David on an uncharted planet where he had been conducting horrific experiments, ending with a cliffhanger suggesting a sequel.
The timeline of the Alien franchise has become increasingly complex with recent additions. Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus, a box-office success, is set between the first and second films and is largely unconnected to the prequel narrative, though a follow-up to Romulus is reportedly in development. Additionally, FX's Alien: Earth TV series is set after Scott's prequels but before the original movie, and is returning for a second season. The news of Scott's Covenant sequel comes as a surprise given this crowded franchise landscape.