Exploding forth like a facehugger from a disturbed egg, the past couple of days has seen an influx of rumours and news about Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, scheduled to begin shooting next year.

First, the legendary director spoke to the Independent about his intentions for his return to the Alien franchise which, the article says, will be a two-part prequel shot in 3D, and will explore the murky history of the titular creatures.

"The film will be really tough, really nasty," Scott said. "It's the dark side of the moon. We are talking about gods and engineers. Engineers of space. And were the aliens designed as a form of biological warfare? Or biology that would go in and clean up a planet?"

As Scott already divulged earlier this year, the prequels will be set in 2085, 30 years before Ripley and her crew aboard the Nostromo first discovered the planet LV-426. This means, of course, that the prequels almost certainly won't have a role for Sigourney Weaver, though, if the news we've read courtesy of the Sunday Times is true, Scott already has another actress in mind to star in the movies.

In an interview timed to coincide with the release of Stephen Frears' upcoming Tamara Drewe, its star, Gemma Arterton, revealed that she'd been in talks with Scott about the possibility of starring in the Alien prequels.

While making the protagonist a female in the prequels is a logical one (the franchise's capable heroine provides the perfect counterpoint to Giger's ferocious xenomorph, after all), whoever ultimately lands the role will inevitably have their performance compared to Weaver's iconic turn as the fiercely capable Ripley.

We don't doubt Arterton's acting talent for a moment, but Weaver's performance will be a tough one to follow.

More news on the Alien prequels as we get it.

The Independent
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