Actor Demian Bichir Talks Grueling 'Alien: Covenant' Shoot
25 March 2016



Back in February, 20th Century Fox announced production on 'Alien: Covenant' in Australia this April, with Ridley Scott at the helm. The cast has been coming together nicely over the past few months, with original 'Prometheus' star Michael Fassbender returning as the android David, joined by several new cast members including Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Jussie Smollett, Amy Seimetz, Carmen Ejogo and Callie Hernandez. I recently had the chance to speak with Demián Bichir for 'The Hateful Eight', arriving on Blu-ray and DVD March 29, where he revealed that production on Alien: Covenant will span four months.

"That's in discussions as we speak, with production. We don't know exact dates yet, all I know is it's going to be a long shoot, almost like The Hateful Eight. It took five months to shoot 'The Hateful Eight'. We spent a couple of months in the mountains, and a couple of months in a studio in Los Angeles, and this will go for about another four months or so. I have very little details at this point, but we will get there. I'm sure we will get together and read, rehearse, everything."

Very little is known about 'Alien: Covenant' thus far, but it was recently confirmed that the story is set 10 years after the events of 'Prometheus'. The story follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant who, while journeying to a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world – whose sole inhabitant is the "synthetic" David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition. No details have been given for any of the new characters yet, and while Demián Bichir wouldn't say anything about who he's playing, the actor did speak about what an honor it is to work with Ridley Scott.

"Well, I can only say that it's just one of those blessings that any actor hopes for. I've been lucky to work with some heavyweights and the journey that I'm going to be able to jump in this spaceship with Ridley is, without a doubt one of the icons in international, universal movie-making... Many of his films marked me personally as an actor, as an artist, and just to be able to share this adventure with him, just the fact that he invited you to be a part of it, that alone is a privilege. That's something you're always grateful for. I'm looking forward to it. I'm jumping on a plane tomorrow, so the adventure will begin tomorrow."

'Alien: Covenant' has been confirmed as the start of a prequel trilogy that will eventually lead up to the events of the original 'Alien' movie. Ridley Scott has also revealed that classic creatures like the Facehugger, Chestburster and Xenomorph will be featured in this story, but there isn't much else we know thus far.

http://movieweb.com/alien-covenant-demi ... interview/

Sigourney Weaver: Blomkamp's 'Alien' Movie Will Be "Worth the Wait"
22 April 2016



At one point, it looked like the Alien franchise could branch off into two directions, with Ridley Scott helming a series of 'Prometheus' movies while Neill Blomkamp revived the 'Alien' films. But then Blomkamp's 'Alien' movie was put on hold and then delayed indefinitely while Scott finished 'Prometheus 2' — which was subsequently renamed 'Alien: Covenant'. At this point, it's unclear when we'll see Blomkamp's planned 'Alien' sequel. But star Sigourney Weaver assures fans the project is still on. It's just a matter of when.

Aggressive Comix has a quote from Weaver's recent appearance at a VMware event. Asked for a status update on Blomkamp's 'Alien' movie, the actress replied:

"Well, I think it is [still on]. Ridley asked Neill not to make our 'Alien' 'til after 'Prometheus 2'. [Ridley] wanted his movie to shoot and be released first. But it's an amazing script, and Neill and I are really excited about doing it. We're doing other things until we can get going on that. I'd be really surprised if we didn't do it, because it's such a great script, and we love working together. So, it's just going to take a little bit longer to get out to you, but it'll be worth the wait."

Originally, the plan was for Scott to produce Blomkamp's 'Alien' movie, which would have been a sequel, as opposed to Scott's 'Prometheus' films, which serve as a prequel. In November, actor Michael Biehn, who was set to reprise his role as Hicks, revealed that "the basic idea" is for Blomkamp's movie to ignore 'Alien 3' and 4, with Weaver's Ripley returning to pass on the torch to a now-grown Newt. "It would keep the franchise alive and the studios would make money, because that's what the bottom line is now: money", he said.

And because Biehn is absolutely right about studios wanting to make money, it's not hard to imagine Fox dusting off Blomkamp's movie at some point and getting the ball rolling again.

In the meantime, Scott's 'Alien: Covenant' arrives August 4, 2017.

http://www.slashfilm.com/neill-blomkamp-alien-movie-2/

Some concept art for Blomkamp's Alien>

Alien Covenant design for xenomorph

'Alien: Covenant' First Look: Katherine Waterston Has Nowhere to Run
26 May 2016



On Alien Day last month, director Ridley Scott offered our first look at the production of 'Alien: Covenant' by way of the mission patch with the name of the title ship we'll be following. This is just the first of what is meant to be two sequels (even though Scott once said this was the first in a new trilogy) that lead us up to the events of 'Alien' in 1979. Production is still underway, and a new photo has just been shared from the set that provides us with our first look at Katherine Waterston as the new female lead character, Daniels.

There's definitely an Ellen Ripley vibe we're getting from Daniels in this photo alone. The caption says "Nowhere to run", and it looks like there may be some kind of weapon between Waterston's legs in this photo. Plus, the shimmer on her body and face indicates that she's pretty sweaty, perhaps because she's on the run from or in pursuit of whatever new xenomorph we'll see in this sequel. That glow in the background indicates there may be some kind of fire, so something dangerous has clearly happened.

http://www.slashfilm.com/alien-covenant ... waterston/

'Alien: Covenant' Rumor: Who Is Katherine Waterston's Daniels?
9 June 2016



So far we've heard a lot about the 'Alien: Covenant' cast — which includes Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, and Jussie Smollett — but not a lot about the characters they'll be playing. We know Michael Fassbender will reprise his role from Prometheus as "synthetic" David, of course, and that at least some of his new co-stars will be playing members of the colony ship Covenant. Beyond that, details have been zipped up tight.

But that hasn't stopped rumors from leaking out, and the latest one might be the juiciest yet. A new report claims to have intel on Daniels, the character Waterston is playing in the movie, and if true it puts the film in an interesting position.

The Playlist has the dirt. They tend to be pretty trustworthy, but even so you may want to take this with a grain of salt. None of these details have been confirmed by anyone official. Oh, and here's your last warning that spoilers could be ahead. If you'd rather be surprised, click away now.

Okay, ready? Here's what The Playlist says about the Alien Covenant Katherine Waterston character:

"Sources close to film and actress tell us the Waterston will be playing Ellen Ripley's mother in 'Alien: Covenant', which is an amazing twist and true to Ridley Scott's promise that the post-'Prometheus' prequels will eventually lead right up to the first 'Alien' movie. It should be noted however that Waterston isn't the lead of the movie, and it's an ensemble piece like 'Prometheus'."

Waterston's character Daniels was first revealed in a photo from the 'Alien: Covenant' set last month. At the time, we commented on the strong "Ellen Ripley vibe" she was giving off. Now it seems that similarity is not only deliberate, but significant. Time will tell whether Daniels is as cool and badass as her daughter, but it's not hard to see where Ripley gets her toughness. There's probably an argument to be made that connections like these make a fictional universe feel small, but it's still an exciting twist.

Originally, Ridley Scott had planned to take his time connecting the 'Prometheus' and 'Alien' films. At some point, however, he decided to reposition his 'Prometheus' sequel as an 'Alien' movie, with a new title and everything. Introducing Ellen Ripley's mom would certainly link 'Alien: Covenant' more closely to the earlier 'Alien' films. Though we should point out that even if the rumor is true, it's unclear how relevant it'll be — whether it'll be a minor Easter egg, or a major plot point.

http://www.slashfilm.com/alien-covenant ... ton-rumor/

I feel the story is forced to make it work in connecting Prometheus with the Alien story line. Scott missed the opportunity and the idea when he decided to have Prometheus run in the same universe but kind off not connected to Alien. To me it seems that he just doesn't know where to take things. Covenant seems to just fill some gap. So far the story is really a clone of all the other Alien movies which is pretty bad considering what it tries to accomplish. Too bad...

I feel bad for Neill Blomkamp that he has to wait to make his movie and not cross paths with Scott.

Noomi Rapace Will Be In 'Alien: Covenant' After All
20 June 2016



'Alien: Covenant' isn’t even opening for another year, and already it’s throwing plot twists at us. Earlier this year we heard Noomi Rapace would not be returning as Elizabeth Shaw, despite being one of the few characters left alive at the end of 'Prometheus'. Now it seems things have changed. According to a new report, Rapace will reprise her role after all, and in fact is on set as we speak.

Deadline reports Rapace is already in Australia to shoot scenes for 'Alien: Covenant'. It’s unclear whether this was the plan all along, or whether director Ridley Scott recently had a change of heart. Nor do we know exactly how Elizabeth Shaw fits into the story. Michael Fassbender‘s David is the only other character returning from 'Prometheus', and so far we’ve heard nothing about why the two characters (who set out for the Engineers’ home planet together at the end of 'Prometheus') have split up.

Here’s the official synopsis for 'Alien: Covenant':

"Set as the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began with 'Prometheus', 'Alien: Covenant' connects directly to Ridley Scott’s 1979 seminal work of science fiction. It begins with the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy. There, the crew discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition."

It’s possible Elizabeth Shaw will get tangled up with David and the crew of the Covenant, but it seems more likely we’ll see her in some sort of flashback sequence or perhaps an early scene that explains how David ended up alone.

http://www.slashfilm.com/alien-covenant-noomi-rapace/

Danny McBride Talks 'Alien: Covenant'
6 July 2016



Late last month the official Alien Twitter account put out the image above; that of Danny McBride conferring with 'Alien: Covenant' director Ridley Scott on what looks like the bridge of the eponymous ship. We figured then that he might be the ship's pilot, and indeed he's now confirmed that.

Talking to Rolling Stone about his new TV comedy Vice Principals, McBride elaborated (at least as much as he could) on his role.

"I’m the pilot of the spaceship Covenant, which is a colonization ship, searching for a planet where we might start life anew. I run the ship."

And from the sounds of it, the shoot has been more practical than he anticipated.

"I didn't know if it would be all green screen, but most of the stuff is practical effects: when you're running from an alien it's really a dude in an alien suit coming after you! The sets are incredible and you're in them: We go through some inclement weather at one point on the spaceship and this whole gigantic set is on a gimbal, shaking up and down. You don't have to use your imagination."

Talking of those alien suits, the Twitter account has just posted a new behind-the-scenes image of a recognizable clawed arm being worked on.



http://www.empireonline.com/movies/alie ... -covenant/

'Alien: Covenant' Wraps and Shares One More Set Photo
20 July 2016



'Alien: Covenant', the the sixth film in the Alien series and the third time director Ridley Scott has helmed one of these movies, has officially wrapped filming and the official Alien Twitter account has shared a new photo from the set to prove it. Despite a pretty steady series of behind the scenes photos and little updates, this has been the rare major studio film to make it this far in the process with the vast majority of its secrets intact. Outside of a cast list, a basic synopsis, and a wild (and potentially spoilery) rumor about Katherine Waterston‘s character, we know precious little about 'Alien: Covenant'.

So let’s just ponder this set photo, shall we?

Like several of the released photos, this one offers a look at Ridley Scott on set as he interacts with his cast and crew. In this case, he’s directing Waterston, who looks very much like a traditional Alien heroine in her tank top and heavy weapon. There really isn’t too much to take in here beyond it being a nice photo. Here’s one of the most seasoned filmmakers in Hollywood sharing a moment with one of the most exciting up-and-coming actors out there right now.

We know from a previously released image that Waterston won’t be all smiles on screen and that her Daniels is almost certainly going to have a rough time. This is an Alien movie, after all. There will be running. And screaming. And sweating. Other photos have revealed Michael Fassbender on set and Danny McBride taking direction on the bridge of a spaceship (which is still an odd sentence to write). We also know that Noomi Rapace will be back to play her Prometheus character again, but the extent of her involvement in the plot remains unknown.

Filming may be wrapped, but the movie still has a long way to go. 'Alien: Covenant' is set to dock in a theater near you on August 4, 2017.

http://www.slashfilm.com/alien-covenant ... set-photo/

Better lead into alien or im gunna be pissed! They took away the original prometheus writer so im not too hopeful, of course ill see it but whatever! What lindolf had originally planned would have made prometheus the perfect trilogy but that sucks! THIS FILM IS A SEQUEL TO PROMETHEUS BUT NOT A CONTINUATION OF WHAT YOU SAW IN THE ORIGINAL FILM!!! PLEASE PEOPLE REMEMBER THIS!!! WHAT YOU LIKED ABOUT THE FIRST ONE WONT HAPPEN HERE!!! a lot of people dont know about the Hollywood drama that unfolded after the original film was released!

Aliens remake with more horror is upon us!!! Better lead into alien!

Trailer Time!

https://youtu.be/H0VW6sg50Pk