When Ridley Scott shot “Alien” in 1978, he didn’t know it was going to be the hit it became upon release in 1979, nor fully understood the legacy it would have in the decades that followed and continues to this day. Moreover, he was only making his second feature, so when 20th Century Fox contracted him to make the film, it was unlikely he would have been given any rights over any future sequels. However, when Scott revived the franchise in 2012 with “Prometheus,” he wishes his production company Scott Free had fought for a financial stake in the series.
“I should have locked them up, as [Steven] Spielberg did with ‘Jurassic,’ and everything he does, and James Cameron has done with what he has,” Scott said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I resurrected a dead ‘Alien’ [franchise] with ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien: Covenant,’ and we should have rejoined the ownership right then, and we didn’t, because someone was careless.”
Similarly, “Blade Runner” was only his third film and despite the success of “Alien,” he didn’t get rights for any future films in that franchise either. In an interview with Vanity Fair this past summer, Scott spoke of his resentment over not being involved creatively or financially in the sequels to some of his greatest works.
“I’m the author of two franchises,” Scott said. “Most directors in Hollywood — certainly, let’s say, at my level — don’t let that stuff go. But I did ‘Alien’ as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And ‘Blade Runner‘ was my third movie. So, I had no choice because I had very tough partners.”
Discussing one of those partners in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott added that, by-and-large, Fox has done right by him over the years and he continues to enjoy working with them. Though Scott Free Productions doesn’t have an overall deal at any studio, they’ve had a first-look agreement with Fox for decades.
“I think I’ve done 13 films for Fox, which may be the highest number any director has done for a studio,” said Scott to THR. “It’s a bit like opening a restaurant. When they pay your overhead, you better eat there every night. I eat at my table every night with Fox. I think that’s why I’ve been valuable to them. You win some, you lose some, but overall, they have been rewarded for what I do.”
It seems Scott has been rewarded in turn, as he also revealed to THR that he is now in development on a new “Alien” film for Fox — a result of the success of Fede Álvarez’s “Alien: Romulus.” Here’s hoping he gets to close out the story of David he built with “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant.”
