Tag: steve-asbell

  • Fede Álvarez Won’t Direct ‘Alien: Romulus’ Sequel

    Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 'Alien: Romulus' panel.
    Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.

    Preview:

    • Director Fede Álvarez is stepping away from the ‘Alien: Romulus’ sequel.
    • But he will produce the movie with franchise overseer Ridley Scott.
    • The hunt is on for a new director.

    The ‘Alien’ franchise is enjoying a real resurgence of late –– ‘Alien: Earth’ is getting good reviews and solid viewing figures on Hulu, while last year’s ‘Alien: Romulus’ did more than $350 million at the worldwide box office.

    You might think, then, that ‘Romulus’ co-writer/director Fede Álvarez would be eager to jump back in for the sequel to that movie. Yet despite previously indicating so, and talking up kicking off pre-production, he’s now stepping away, moving to simply produce the next outing.

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    Here’s what Álvarez told website TooFab about the decision:

    “We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for ‘Romulus’. But I’m gonna pass the torch on this one as director. I’m going to produce it, with Ridley Scott, we’re gonna produce it together and we’re right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in. I think that’s usually what has happened, except for Ridley, filmmakers come, you make one and you pass the baton to the next one. But we wrote the story because we really love what we started with ‘Romulus’ and we want to continue the story. We love the story and now we just want to find a director that really wants to go for the jugular.”

    Related Article: The ‘Alien: Romulus’ Comic-Con Panel Brings Footage and Facehuggers to Hall H

    What was the story of ‘Alien: Romulus’?

    (L to R) Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios' 'Alien: Romulus.' Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Alien: Romulus.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    ‘Romulus’ was the story of a group of young space colonists who are looking for a way off the mining colony moon they call home.

    While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, they come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

    As for the sequel’s story, those details are being kept inside a Facehugger’s egg for now. But talking to The Hollywood Reporter in October last year, 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell had this to say:

    “We know there’s going to be aliens. We know there’s going to be great horror set pieces. But I fell in love with both of them [Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues, who have crafted the story for the next movie] and I want to see what their story is.”

    What else is Fede Álvarez working on?

    Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 'Alien: Romulus' panel.
    (Right) Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.

    Álvarez is one of those filmmakers who always has something in development. Right now, he has the likes of video game adaptation ‘Dante’s Inferno’ bubbling away alongside ‘Incognito’, about a super-villain in the witness protection programme.

    He admitted to TooFab that he had something in mind to make next, but is keeping specifics close to his chest:

    “I want to work on a personal project that me and my co-writer, we’ve been keeping on the back burner for a while and we feel it’s the right time to go and work on an original. But I can’t tell you anything about it.”

    Spoilsport!

    When will the ‘Alien: Romulus’ sequel be on screens?

    David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios' 'Alien: Romulus.' Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Alien: Romulus.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Since it’s now in a holding pattern awaiting a new director, don’t expect to learn a release date for the currently untitled sequel until a team is in place.

    Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios' 'Alien: Romulus.' Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Alien: Romulus.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Movies in the ‘Alien’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘Alien’ Movies On Amazon

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  • ‘Prey’s Dan Trachtenberg Shot a Second, Secret New ‘Predator’ Movie

    (L to R) Amber Midthunder as Naru and Director Dan Trachtenberg behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo by John P. Johnson. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Amber Midthunder as Naru and Director Dan Trachtenberg behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by John P. Johnson. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Preview:

    • ‘Prey’ director Dan Trachtenberg has shot both follow-up ‘Badlands’ and a new secret movie.
    • The other movie is likely to arrive via streaming.
    • 20th Century boss Steve Asbell offered other updates in a new interview.

    Ever since ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ director Dan Trachtenberg brought the ‘Predator’ franchise roaring back to life with 2022’s ‘Prey’ (a prequel to the franchise entries that landed on Hulu to huge viewing figures), we’ve been waiting for more news about his follow-up.

    Then, back in June this year, word arrived that Elle Fanning was in talks for the next movie to come from Trachtenberg, ‘Predator: Badlands.’ It’s a stand-alone that features no connective tissue to ‘Prey’ other than the appearance of at least one of the movies’ trademark toothy hunters.

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    But in a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell revealed that Trachtenberg has shot not one two new ‘Predator’ movies.

    What did Steve Asbell say about the future for ‘Predator’?

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    According to Asbell, there will indeed be two ‘Predator’ movies headed our way next year.

    One is ‘Badlands,’ which wrapped recently in New Zealand and, yes, features Fanning. The other? That’s more of a mystery for now.

    This is what Asbell said:

    “After ‘Prey’ became a success, Dan came back and said he didn’t want to do ‘Prey 2.’ And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool. We’ve actually done two of them.”

    He had no other real details on the second film, other than to say Trachtenberg directed it before heading out to make ‘Badlands’ and that it probably won’t be released theatrically, which is the destination for ‘Badlands.’

    Related Article: Dan Trachtenberg Talks ‘Prey’ Blu-ray and the ‘Predator’ Franchise

    What’s the story of ‘Predator: Badlands’?

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Little has been released about the plot for ‘Badlands,’ and indeed Asbell offers not much by way of detail, other than to say:

    “It is an absolutely bonkers idea. It is a sci-fi thing, but it’s not what everybody thinks it is. And I mean, it’s awesome. It is so nuts. But in Dan, we trust.”

    What’s happening with the ‘Alien’ franchise?

    Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios' 'Alien: Romulus.' Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Alien: Romulus.’ Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    One of the other big 20th Century sci-fi franchises, ‘Alien,’ also saw love this year.

    Alien: Romulus,’ directed by Fede Alvarez, was a success at the box office, and a sequel is in the works.

    This is what Asbell had to say about the future of the franchise:

    “We’re working on a sequel idea now. We haven’t quite closed our deal with Fede, but we are going to, and he has an idea that we’re working on. The two survivors, Rain and Andy, played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, were real highlights of the film. And so I always think of it like, ‘Wow, where do people want to see them go next?’ We know there’s going to be aliens. We know there’s going to be great horror set pieces. But I fell in love with both of them and I want to see what their story is.”

    That would also make people think about the times that the ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ franchises have crossed over –– but according to Asbell, while he and his team are thinking about it, don’t expect them to rush into the idea:

    “It wouldn’t be in the way you think. That’s the thing. Not in the way that it will just be called ‘Alien vs. Predator’ or anything like the original movies. If we do this, they’ll be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with, and those characters will combine… perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point.”

    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios' 'Prey,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Prey,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Other Movies in the ‘Predator’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘Predator’ Movies on Amazon

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