Neill Blomkamp to Helm ‘Alien’ Sequel

The keys to the Alien franchise have been handed off and a(nother) sequel is in the works.

Ever since the first Alien film came out in 1979 Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the acid-spitting extra terrestrials have stayed relatively constant attractions on the big screen; there were three sequels that brought Ripley back (each to less satisfying results) before the series was thrown rather randomly together with the Predator. Finally, in 2011 Ridley Scott brought that world back to the public consciousness with Prometheus, the supposed prequel.

Now Weaver as Ripley is coming back for one last claustrophobic battle, with Neill Blomkamp at the helm. Blomkamp, whose latest, Chappie, opens on Friday, is a familiar face in the sci-fi/alien genre, having launched his career with the excellent District 9 (only to follow it up with the subpar, though beautiful, Elysium–a film he says he “fucked up”).

On the press tour for Chappie, Blomkamp has been rather candid about his hopes for his Alien sequel, apparently hinting that he meant to undo the realities of the third and fourth installments (fine by us). But he has since clarified his remarks, telling Allo Ciné that the first two films were simply his favorites and that he wants “to make a film that’s connected to Alien and Aliens. That’s my goal.”

No matter what he plans to do with the series, Blomkamp is an inspired choice, who will, at the very least, push the boundaries of the Alien world, and likely say something semi-important in the process.