Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez has shown a cut of the movie to Ridley Scott, and he seems pretty happy with it. Going so far as to say ”It’s f—ing great”.
Speaking to fellow director Guillermo Del Toro at the DGA Latino Summit 2023, Álvarez revealed the director’s cut of Alien Romulus was not only finished, but had been sent to the film’s producer and director of the 1979 original, Ridley Scott.
Álvarez Pleases His Toughest Audience
Álvarez goes on to talk about how he was terrified to hand over the movie to Scott because of the legendary director’s reaction to other films made using his work, such as Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049.
“I wanted him to see it before anybody, and everyone gave me the heads-up that Ridley is really tough. 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,” said Álvarez, who also found Scott wasn’t that enamored with a sequel to his late brother Tony’s work either.
”I asked him about the new Top Gun, and he’s like ‘meh.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ 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 win this one.’”
Despite this fear, Álvarez was adamant he had to hear Scott’s opinion in person.
“Even if he didn’t ask for it, I was gonna go there and sit at a table and look at him and get it. Even if he was gonna say, ‘You destroyed my legacy,’ I wanted to be in front of him, and see him in the eye. I didn’t want to get an email where it says, ‘Ridley says…’
But the Uruguayan director needn’t have worried, as Scott spent an hour talking about how much he liked it.
“And then he walks into the room and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s fucking great.’” Scott was enthused about the movie’s writing, which pleased Álvarez as he co-wrote Alien Romulus with Rodo Sayagues.
All that we know about Alien: Romulus beyond the fact its director clearly did his homework to impress Scott, is that the story will be about a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Alien: Romulus will be the fourth film directed by Álvarez. It’s based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues. The film’s cast will include Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy, Priscilla), Isabela Merced (Sicario: Day of the Soldado), David Jonsson (Industry, Rye Lane), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (Tell Me Everything), and Aileen Wu. Alien and Prometheus director/creator Ridley Scott is producing alongside Michael Pruss.
Alien: Romulus is due for release on Aug. 16, 2024
