Over a decade after its debut, the divisive Alien prequel Prometheus is quietly becoming one of the franchise’s most important outings. Despite being so closely linked to the genre, Ridley Scott spent 30 years away from sci-fi between Blade Runner and Prometheus. Of course, having directed the first entry in the Alien movie franchise and Blade Runner was enough to certify him as an icon of the genre. Scott was plenty busy in the decades between his Alien entries, too, but there was much rejoicing when he signed on for 2012’s Prometheus.
Cut to 13 years later, and Prometheus is easily the most divisive outing. The film is ambitious, visually lush, and fronted by a fantastic Michael Fᴀssbender performance; it’s also saddled with unlikable characters, baffling storytelling choices, and a portentous tone. Still, the Ridley Scott movie can be credited with expanding the lore of the series in intriguing ways, including pulling back the curtain on the Engineers and where the Xenomorphs themselves came from.
Prometheus Was A Strange Addition To The Alien Franchise When It Came Out
Confusion over its Alien links didn’t help
When Scott first signed up for Prometheus, it was a straightforward prequel тιтled Alien: Engineers. As the screenplay was developed further, it became more of a standalone entry – and soon, there was confusion over how closely tied the film actually was to Alien. The truth is, as he later admitted in interviews (like this Yahoo! chat), Scott wasn’t terribly interested in making a direct sequel or reviving the Xenomorph, stating plainly, “The beast is done. Cooked.“
Instead, Prometheus is an exploration of creator vs created and the need to find answers no matter the cost. If anything, Scott views Fᴀssbender’s android David as the “Alien” of the movie, a being created to be superior to his creators and growing to despise them for their hatred of what they’ve made. Prometheus also introduced the Engineers’ Black Goo, a primordial substance that can rewrite the DNA of any living being – often with disastrous consequences.
Audiences expecting a terrifying sci-fi horror epic from Scott weren’t sure what to make of Prometheus. It had a fantastic cast (including Idris Elba, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce) and effective horror beats, but the prequel’s heady mix of philosophical themes with dumb B-movie tropes made it feel like the black sheep of the Alien saga. Scott himself would attempt to merge the tones of the original series and Prometheus with 2017’s Alien: Covenant, though the result was a sequel that didn’t fully satisfy either goal.
Despite Its Controversies, Prometheus Was A Box Office Success And Remains Popular
Audiences were ready for Alien to return in 2012
It should be remembered that the series had fallen on hard times following the franchise nadir of Alien vs Predator: Requiem in 2007. The series had slowly morphed into horror junk, so Scott returning to the series he helped kick off felt like the perfect solution. Devotees were expecting a new sci-fi classic, and 20th Century Fox did an excellent job of hyping the prequel up via trailers and pre-release trailers. Prometheus went on to gross over $402 million worldwide (via The Numbers), despite the mixed word of mouth.
The original reason Guy Pearce was cast as the 103-year-old Peter Weyland was due to the screenplay originally featuring a sequence with a younger Weyland; this scene was later cut before it was filmed.
The film has undeniably split opinions within the Alien fanbase, but despite its faults, Prometheus has plenty of admirers. It’s rare to get a sci-fi film of such size and scope on the big screen – and one that asks surprisingly deep questions. Another reason it’s stuck around is the amount of debate, conversation and fan theories it inspired. From abandoned concepts like the reveal Jesus Christ was an Engineer to theorizing on the reason they wanted to wipe out humanity, Prometheus has inspired many an inflamed Reddit thread over the years.
It’s a flawed movie with some fascinating ideas behind it, and it can be more fun to unpick the subtext and world-building than to engage with the story. That’s another reason the Alien prequel tends to rank high on streaming platforms. There’s a world where Prometheus 2 would have led the series in a totally different direction, but its evolution into Covenant – and that sequel’s critical and commercial underperformance – killed the prequel franchise before Scott could wrap it up.
Alien Can’t Seem To Move Away From Prometheus For Some Reason
Romulus’ story had many Prometheus tie-ins
Scott had plans for at least two more prequels that would eventually lead into 1979’s Alien, but Covenant’s lackluster showing killed those plans. When the series was revived once again with 2024’s Alien: Romulus, it was ᴀssumed the new film would wipe the slate clean. It was designed to return the property to its horror roots and strip back the convoluted mythology and cosmic horror elements of Scott’s prequels. Imagine everybody’s surprise when Romulus not only made reference to Prometheus, but made the black goo a key part of the story.
The black goo is such a great plot device it’s not a big surprise it was repurposed elsewhere, but it was lovely to see Prometheus get such a major shoutout…
The goo is also responsible for Alien: Romulus‘ horrifying Offspring, which looks like a fusion between a human being, an Engineer and a Xenomorph. The black goo is such a great plot device it’s not a big surprise it was repurposed elsewhere, but it was lovely to see Prometheus get such a major shoutout. The positive response to this subplot suggests audiences have come around to Prometheus – and that a potential Romulus sequel could tie into Scott’s prequels more directly.
Alien’s Upcoming TV Show Might Change The Way We See Prometheus
Will Earth have any Prometheus or Covenant connections?
It’s a busy period for the franchise, which is headed to television for the first time with Alien: Earth. Created by Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley, the spinoff will live up to its тιтle and see the тιтular star beasts crashland on Earth and a team of soldiers having to deal with the mess. Hawley has kept his cards close to the chest about Alien: Earth, so plot details are still mysterious. What’s interesting to note is that the FX show takes place in 2120, which is 27 years after Weyland’s Prometheus expedition and 16 years after Covenant.
In a conversation with KCRW, Hawley stated the mythology introduced in Scott’s prequels was “just inherently less useful to me.” This suggests the show won’t be pulling much from the prequel duology, but considering Alien: Earth takes place a couple of years before Scott’s original film, maybe David had something to do with sending the ship that brings his “perfect” creatures to the planet. There are likely going to be plenty of surprises, so a Michael Fᴀssbender cameo or mention of the “Prometheus” mission wouldn’t be a huge reach.
It may even reframe Prometheus or Covenant in some way or provide some kind of closure to that storyline. The prequel has had quite a journey since it arrived in 2012, and for better or worse, it pushed the Alien series into bold directions.
Source: Yahoo!, The Numbers, KCRW
