Ridley Scott says he has become directly involved again in the Alien franchise and is rewriting its next film, arguing that 2024’s Alien: Romulus was merely “OK” and that the series “needs some help”. His intervention matters because it signals a more hands-on role from the director who launched the original film, despite Romulus receiving broadly positive reviews.

Scott appears to be continuing the storyline begun in Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), with Michael Fassbender’s android David expected to return. He has described plans to explore David creating a new world and to address fears around artificial intelligence; no release date has been announced. Alien: Romulus received 80% from critics and 85% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, while Alien: Earth earned 94% and 65% respectively.