New Direct Sequel to Aliens is Coming?! "Game Over Man, Game Over!"

HaHaCharade

So it sounds like a new Alien movie is coming! While normally I wouldn't care given that they drug this film franchise out back and shot it some time ago, the rumors make it sound like they are doing a direct sequel to 1986's Aliens -- which just so happens to be one of my favorite films of all-time (and along with the original Alien are the only two films worth a damn in the entire franchise). Supposedly in the new continuity, the films after Aliens (Alien 3 and Alien: Ressurection respectively) are going to be ignored by the new movie.

Alien 3 destroyed my soul when they unceremoniously killed Hicks and Newt, who you rooted so hard for in the 2nd film. Will Michael Biehn be back as Hicks?!! How sweet would that be.

http://www.cnet.com/news/sigourney-weavers-ripley-return-will-pick-up-after-aliens-ignoring-other-sequels/

Unfortunately EVERYONE'S favorite character (well at least mine), William Hudson, would not be back - Given that he was wasted the 2nd film.

(Warning: Clip contains coarse language)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrjFuTbl_SA

Kamigoroshi

While I'm also a fan of this franchise, I don't hold my breath for this so-called sequel. On the bright side... it at least doesn't seem to involve Predators and American High School settings like some other sad excuse of a movie. *shudder*

What I really want to see is something more, I don't know... refreshing I guess? Like a dark, dystopian movie where xenomorphs actually win in the end. That would be nice. Or at least have a conclusion where both humans and aliens go extinct. I'd watch that too!

O_Bruce

Ignoring other sequels, huh? If this is going to be shooting gallery just like Aliens then I don't have much hope for this one - The Alien franchise is better of with single, deadly Xenomorph than 200 fodder xenos.

Also, I cannot really relate to or care for soldiers in movies, and if it's going to be a direct sequel, then pretty much I won't care about characters as well. So sad.

kcwise

Well, this won't be confusing at all... Rebooting a franchise, however you might feel about it, is one thing, but half-rebooting a franchise at some middle point between various films? That's unusual.

Of course, one could argue they've done it successfully with Trek (while everything else original is up in the air the Enterprise TV show is technically still safe in the new movie universe) so I suppose it can work here too. It just seems like a really odd decision.

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HaHaCharade

O_Bruce said:

Ignoring other sequels, huh? If this is going to be shooting gallery just like Aliens then I don't have much hope for this one - The Alien franchise is better of with single, deadly Xenomorph than 200 fodder xenos.

Also, I cannot really relate to or care for soldiers in movies, and if it's going to be a direct sequel, then pretty much I won't care about characters as well. So sad.

Interesting take. I thought Aliens did a pretty great job making the Colonial Marines people who you actually cared about -- even some of the ones who didn't last very long. To each their own however. I also enjoy the first movie for certain, but Aliens was just different. One is a thriller/horror, one is an action/horror. Just different films which are both great for some different reasons.

the_spyder

"We're in some pretty S---t now."

"Why don't we put Her in charge."

There are so many Hicksisms from that AWESOME movie.

kcwise said:

Well, this won't be confusing at all... Rebooting a franchise, however you might feel about it, is one thing, but half-rebooting a franchise at some middle point between various films? That's unusual.

Of course, one could argue they've done it successfully with Trek (while everything else original is up in the air the Enterprise TV show is technically still safe in the new movie universe) so I suppose it can work here too. It just seems like a really odd decision.

It's been done, but usually to disastrous effect. People get all up in arms about continuity issues and such. I'd say the best one to have done it is the Highlander TV series. They basically pretended that Highlander 2 never existed (and then subsequently blended them BACK together for Highlander 4??).

I suppose another successful scenario has been the Audio CDs for Doctor who, which are VERY good, but had to be inserted into the various cracks between episodes in order to make any kind of continuity sense.

They recently published a book that purported to tell a story of Ripley BETWEEN Alien and Aliens. While the writing was OK, and it had that same feel, it was so predictable in the end because they HAD to (a) have Ripley survive and (b) wipe her memory such that it didn't ruin continuity.

I am looking forward to seeing what they do, but I still admit to a bit of skepticism. We will see I guess.

Teflon

Ah hudson, sweet surprise to see in Baldurs gate forum.

wubble

As a certified coward I tend not to watch scary films but I did find alien and aliens quite good. after prometheus I'm not sure anyone making an alien film can be trusted.

the_spyder

I got to thinking about it and I can see how they can (a) completely disregard the consequences of Alien 3, and (b) still not invalidate Alien 3 and 4. Given cloning, nothing says that the Ripley in Alien 3 was the original. They could say that Weyland-Yutani wanted to test how the aliens would react in a contained environment and thus constructed the entire scenario. That would, if a bit cheesy, not be outside the realm of credibility within the franchise. And it would better set up and lay the groundwork for Alien 4, all the while still allowing for this new movie.

On the other hand, they could say that Alien 3 and 4 were hypersleep dreams. A bit cheesier than the other but again not outside of the realm of the franchise, particularly if you read Alan Dean Foster's original novelization where the company actually recorded the crews's dreams for commercial resale later.

O_Bruce

the_spyder said:

On the other hand, they could say that Alien 3 and 4 were hypersleep dreams. A bit cheesier than the other but again not outside of the realm of the franchise, particularly if you read Alan Dean Foster's original novelization where the company actually recorded the crews's dreams for commercial resale later.

Seriously? Are people hating on these films so much to disregard them completely? All because a marine and a girl died? In a franchise such as this?

Also, I've just remembered someting. Alien franchise belongs to Fox, right? If sequel to Aliens is being made, then we have one trouble... There was acutally Fox approved sequel. It's called Aliens: Colonial Marines...

the_spyder

@O_Bruce - I personally am not 'Hating' on anyone. However Neil has indicated that his movie will be a direct sequel to Aliens AND will have an older Ripley and Hudson in the mix (it would appear that both Sigourney and Michael have signed on, or at least that is the speculation). Therefore given the obvious disparity that creates, I was merely spit-balling what they 'Could' do so that Alien 3 and 4 remained continuity.

As far as the relative quality of the movies, In my book Alien and Aliens are in a class all their own. I appreciate Alien 3 and 4, but acknowledge that they are no where near in the same league as the originals. And yes, I personally (highly subjective) thought that Hudson and Newt surviving all of Aliens only to die within the first 2 minutes of the next movie was a bit jarring. I would personally like to see that rectified. I don't however think that was the only reason that Aliens didn't measure up to the originals.

As far as Colonial Marines, in most scenarios Video Games are considered a very distant relative at best. I can't see anything in that game that would supersede anything that an official movie wished to present. Speculation, I know, but given getting Neil agreeing to do anything would probably have to come with a WIDE latitude (almost blank slate as it were) before he would sign on, I hardly think they are going to say "But the video game".... If I am wrong? Hey...

But again this is all 100% my musings based on no facts other than Neil being involved in a 'Direct sequel' to Aliens.

Coutelier

I would rather someone point a camera at a steaming pile of dog turd and watch that for two hours than ever watch Alien: Resurrection again, but didn't actually mind Alien 3 that much. Although I can understand why a lot of fans weren't happy about Newt and Hudson being killed off like that. I guess you can just see those movies as happening in an alternate timeline to the new one.

the_spyder

Oh, no..... not another JJ Star Trek/Classic Trek Division. No more 'Alternate timelines' please.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of both the old Trek and the new. I can absolutely reconcile the two into 'They are fun and enjoyable movies' without hating on anyone. I just hate how that decision has polarized the fan base in some pretty ugly and nasty ways.

LOL. All I was saying was "I have a cunning plan."

Coutelier

Well the difference is that in Star Trek 'alternate timeline' was actually written in the plot of those films to make it clear to the fans that their beloved Classic Trek still existed, I suppose. I don't think they really need to do that with Aliens though (there was actually one episode of Star Trek that was kind of officially struck from continuity, so nerd points to anyone who knows what it was).

HaHaCharade

The JJ Abrams versions of trek are decent "films" looking at them by themselves, but the first film destroyed 50 years of continuity in one fell swoop. A mining ship blows up Vulcan? Thanks. Not to mention there was supposed to be temporal safeguards in place to prevent such timeline tampering (see Star Trek Voyager). Ah well.

the_spyder

My mistake. Please don't degenerate this into a JJ Trek vs Classic trek slug fest. I see enough of that hate train on Facebook. I'd prefer not to see it here as well.

@Coutelier - I was merely saying that fans of the franchise might take issue with something as potentially problematic as an Alternate universe precisely because it has a history of being a point of contention among these types of franchises. But then again, people might have issue with either of the two suggestions that I made, so.....

In any event, we will see what Neil has in mind in a few years. I will be watching with interest (and at least a bit of skepticism). I hope we get something good out of all of the fuss. I was not a fan of Elysium, so hopefully this will take a different direction.