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Ridley Scott Says Last 8-Minutes of 'Prometheus' Holds 'Alien' DNA

by Ethan Anderton
November 7, 2011
Source: Speakeasy

Aside from the impressive footage shown at Comic-Con (check out our video blog review here), the only official look at Prometheus, the film from director Ridley Scott that brings the filmmaker back to the style and tone of his classic sci-fi film Alien, came from a single first look photo back in July. Filmed in 3D and featuring an impressive cast including Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron, much of the buzz surrounding the project has been regarding the film's supposed connection to the aforemetioned 1979 sci-fi film, and while Scott has said the film merely shares DNA, his vague talk just might indicate otherwise.

In a recent talk with Speakeasy (via ComingSoon), Scott elaborated slightly on his previous statements on Prometheus saying that the last eight minutes of the film will evolve into "a pretty good DNA of the Alien one." In addition, the central theme or metaphor of the film centers on the idea of a "higher being" who, much like the titular Greek titan, challenges the gods by giving fire to the mortals. In this case, it's likely not fire that's the catalyst, but Scott says, "Fire is our first form of technology," and so likely the defiance in this case comes from something or someone challenging their higher power and giving something "godly" to beings who are lower on the totem pole.

Perhaps this has some kind of connection to the infamous space jockey from the original Alien, and there will be a more obvious connection to that film than Sir Ridley Scott seems to imply. This is merely speculation about how Scott is speaking about Prometheus, but if I were him, I'd want something like this to be as secretive as possible too. However, one obvious connection that won't happen is a cameo by Sigourney Weaver, not even as a character other than Ripley from the Alien franchise. That might be bad news for fans, but there's good news for those worried about Scott capturing the spirit and style of Alien.

Though Scott is shooting the film in 3D at a time when computer generated effects are dominating science fiction, there's still plenty of practical effects that Scott is employing and actually favors. As for shooting in 3D, Scott says he and the film have "completely taken off into this cyberworld" and it's "the best time I've had in a number of years making a movie." As for the use of special effects on the film, Scott says, “I’m a great believer in filming the real thing if you can and so I did a lot of building the real thing," and that should help make the film feel just like it's part of the Alien universe, even without a direct connection.

Filed under Hype, Movie News, SciFi

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