A sequel to a good movie is always a mixed bag. Some sequels are phenomenal, and some fall flat because there was probably not enough content to make something as solid as the original. In fields like the entertainment industry, keeping up momentum is really valuable, but you don’t want to rush your project. It’s a balancing act. On that note, producer Michael Pruss gives us some insight about the possibility of a sequel to Alien: Romulus, and it is actually a tad bit confusing on first glance.
In an interview with ScreenRant at the Saturn Awards, Michael Pruss was asked questions about the Alien: Romulus sequel that has been tossed around. Pruss’ response did give some insight, but it’s a bit confusing. He was quoted saying:
I am involved in the sequel with Ridley and our friends and colleagues and Fede, course. We are working on ideas for another Alien film, which may not be a direct sequel to Romulus, but it certainly is a part of the existing franchise.
To put it in layman’s terms, there is a sequel in the works, it’s not an Alien: Romulus 2, but more like an Alien: Covenant. It’s another movie for the franchise, but it isn’t a direct follow-up from Romulus. I can see it being how Covenant isn’t technically a direct sequel to Prometheus, as it doesn’t follow David and Elizabeth Shaw directly, but we do get to see what has happened to them after the cameras stopped rolling. Jumping off that, Pruss did give more of an insight into the sequels production. He goes on to say:
We are in an early phase, but we hope to really have something special to talk about as the year goes on. I promise it won’t be 25 years; it’ll be sooner than that, but I don’t have more specifics. We aren’t yet in more of a specific phase than just working with Fede and Ridley to try and come up with something great that will frankly garner the same reaction. Romulus was worth the wait, right? People loved it, they embraced it, and so it takes time to do it. But we want to give you something great.
First things first, thank you for telling us it won’t take 25 years for a sequel. Some sequels are just stuck development limbo so that’s good to know. Included the talks about the sequel have been rumors that involved Sigourney Weaver and some digital de-aging. I’m not enthusiastic about this if it is more than a rumor, but that’s neither here nor there.
Aside from the rumors, the director has addressed some of the ‘mistakes’ made in Romulus, and how he plans to avoid repeating those for the sequel. A Romulus sequel definitely has enough content left over from the first movie to be solid, between the new planet that Rain and the rest of the crew is trying to get to, as well as that surprise creature feature in the last act that ruffled some feathers. From the concept art alone, I think this would be a really cool creature to see again.
Overall, if Romulus is to get a sequel, direct or not, I’m happy to hear that those working on the film are taking their time and making sure to not rush something out just to keep up with its own success. For now, if you’re like me who’s curious about where this movie might fall in the timeline, luckily, we have an Alien movies guide for that. For now, I’ll just wait patiently for more information to be released.