Prometheus promised a prequel story to the Alien franchise, and while this may never be concluded, the series’ future looks more promising. When concerning the ranking of Alien movies, Prometheus and its sequel, Alien: Covenant, are not often considered among the best installments. Nonetheless, both movies have accrued somewhat of a cult following over the years, with many wishing to see how a third prequel film would complete Alien‘s franchise timeline by tying them to the original 1979 movie.

However, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant were not financially successful, resulting in a change of direction for the franchise. The box office success of Alien: Romulus, released in 2024, solidified this course correction. Alien: Romulus takes place between the first and second Alien movies, loosely tying the plot threads of Ridley Scott’s prequels to the original continuity in place of a third film. With a new future for the Alien franchise now firmly in place, it seems as though the story teased by Prometheus will never be fully finished, but that may mean something more exciting is on the horizon.

The Alien Franchise Is In A Much Better Place Now Than During Prometheus & Covenant

The Future Looks Incredibly Exciting

As already alluded to, the Alien franchise is in a better place now than it was in the 2010s. While Prometheus and Alien: Covenant certainly have their fans, there is no denying that they were divisive to the wider audience, as evidenced by their disappointing box office returns. This, combined with uncertainty about where the franchise would head and what Ridley Scott had planned, meant that the Alien franchise was in a sense of limbo with movies only coming out as and when Scott deemed it.

Now, though, Alien looks set to continue in a big way. A sequel to Alien: Romulus is in development, which director Fede Álvarez hopes to begin production on in 2025. Then there is the story of Alien: Earth, a 2025 TV show that acts as yet another prequel to 1979’s Alien. Both of these projects are set to continue the Alien franchise in an exciting way, and that is not to mention two more teases that hint at a big former crossover happening once more, the first coming in the trailer for 2025’s Predator: Badlands.

In this trailer, Elle Fanning’s character is spotted rolling her eyes back into her head as David Jonsson’s Andy did in Alien: Romulus. This, combined with the hint of the logo of Alien‘s Weyland-Yutani Corporation, seems to confirm that another Predator crossover is happening. This was teased by the head of 20th Century Studios in 2024 also, promising an even more exciting future for the Alien franchise beyond mainline stories.

I Wish We Saw The Conclusion Of David’s Story, But Alien’s Future Is More Exciting

Alien Has Never Been In Better Shape

Personally, I was always a fan of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. I have always liked stories that take established franchises and turn them on their head, giving more complex answers to mysteries that fans have speculated on for a while. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant did exactly this via the story of David and I, for one, would have loved to see his story conclude in a third Alien prequel film. That said, I can also acknowledge just how exciting Alien‘s future is now.

After all, I have already alluded to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant being more divisive and box office failures. If the first Alien movie produced after Disney’s 20th Century Fox acquisition was a flop, it could have put an end to the franchise completely. Alien: Romulus avoided that, taking the franchise somewhat back to basics in a way that resonated with fans while setting up promising stories in the future. Alongside the teases of another Predator crossover, Alien‘s future is more exciting than ever, regardless of wheter Prometheus‘ story comes to fruition.