Any filmmaker taking over a major franchise for a Hollywood heavyweight would likely seek that heavyweight’s approval of their installment in the popular series, even if they don’t admit it. That appears to be the case with Fede Álvarez who directed the next Alien sequel entitled Romulus. It’s far from its release date, but Álvarez had a cut ready for Scott.
In a talk with Guillermo Del Toro — another veritable titan of cinema — at the DGA Latino Summit, Álvarez mentioned his jitters over Scott possibly disliking the film. “I wanted him to see it before anybody,” Álvarez said via ComicBookMovie. “And everyone gave me the head’s up that Ridley is really tough.” As in, his approval is hard to get.
“He’s really tough, particularly if it has something to do with his movies. He was really tough on Blade Runner [2049], which I thought was a masterpiece, and he had issues with it because it’s really hard for him because it’s his work. I asked him about the new Top Gun and he’s like ‘meh.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Álvarez added.
“And he was like, ‘My brother’s was original and this is like eh.’ He really respected it, but you could see how tough he was. So I was like, ‘There’s no way I [can] win this one,’” he thought. Álvarez admitted he was “terrified” of a negative reaction, but this fear was for naught as Scott received Romulus positively.
“And then he [walked] into the room and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s [frick]ing great,’” he recalled. “For me, it was like… My family knows it was one of the best moments of my life to have a master like him, who I admired so much, to even watch a movie I made but particularly something like this…”
He continued, “…and [talked] to me for an hour about what he liked about it. One of the best compliments he said was, ‘The dialogue is great. Are you the writer?’ Yes!” CBM seconded the notion that Ridley Scott is blunt and hard to please, so his endorsement of Romulus is a good sign on paper.
His last two Alien movies, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (one of which was supposed to be an original concept), polarized fans and were seen as signs he might have lost a step.
Alien: Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) and Isabela Merced (Superman Legacy). It premieres next summer on August 16th.