Neill Blomkamp's 'ALIEN' Film Inspired By ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES Expansion Mission?

A couple of months ago Neill Blomkamp starting posting concept artwork for an Alien movie project on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. The project using the working title of Alien: Xenomorph and was completely under the radar of the people at 20th Century Fox, who would end-up greenlighting such a film.

The premise being this film would take place sometime after Aliens, I assume with the aged-up cast returning to their roles and ignoring that the two previous films ever happened.

Something that is already going on at Paramount with their Terminator franchise as Terminator Genisys coming this summer is a reboot of sorts. That film is systematically pretending that the last two films aren't canon and is seeming going back to 1984 (other time periods as well). If Arnold's coming back they might as well do the same for Ripley.

Alien Resurrection didn't really leave much room for this to be an option for Alien 5 unless Hicks is still alive somehow. They'd have to do a lot of explaining to bring Hick back in that timeline.

Rebooting the franchise entirely has always been a taboo subject at the studio, even though fans assumed that Prometheus was going to be exactly that. Of course, if they had followed the production process they would know the film was always going to focus on the origins of the Space Jockey aka the Engineers.

Now let's consider where Blomkamp got this idea to bring back Dwayne Hicks and the derelict ship.

It actually might have been inspired by the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines which for most was a massive disappointment. The game was terrible in almost every aspect and had huge potential because it's developer Gearbox had access to all the materials from the Aliens production. Colonial Marines was expected to actually become a semi-sequel to Aliens and would even attempt to bring back characters including Hicks reprised by Michael Biehn.

In the game's downloadable expansion single-player mission titled Stasis Interrupted, it's revealed that Hicks wasn't in the cryo-tube when the escape pod crashed in Alien 3. This allowing Hicks to have had an unseen storyline explored in the game. Some fans have actually embraced this expansion but it's unlikely any have really heard of it.

Michael Bishop Weyland

The mission also had Lance Henriksen in the role of Michael Bishop Weyland which he played in Alien3, further connecting the game to existing canon. The character confirms to Hicks that he and the company have indeed retrieved the alien ship and were using/testing it's contents on the planet.

Weyland gets ahold of the derelict ship and starts experiments on both LV-426 at the Origin Facility and his own ship using unsuspecting colonists as hosts for the xenomorphs. This base of operations was also teased in the production artwork posted by Blomkamp.

Check out the comparisons between the Weyland facility from the game and the one posted by Neill Blomkamp.

Origin Facility on LV-426 from Stasis Interrupted

Derelict Ship at Weyland Facility posted by Blomkamp

The expanded mission's story was seemingly being pulled from old Fox scripts that had Dwayne Hicks as the lead of the third film, a precaution at the time as the studio and producers kept finding ways to exclude Weaver from returning. There were indeed versions that did have Hicks taking-over as protagonist of the series but that never did end-up happening.

This of course wasn't James Cameron's idea for the third film as he had envisioned that family dynamic created at the end of Aliens being further explored. He was gutted when Fox killed both Newt and Hicks in the third film, and would eventually turn his back to the franchise once they passed on his Alien 5 pitch to make AVP instead.



Having a video game inspire his direction for an Alien movie pitch wouldn't be crazy for Blomkamp, remember was once set to direct the live-action Halo movie and previously made live-action ads for the game as well.

Let's not also ignore that Sledgehammer Games took direct designs from his film Elysium for a lot of the design work on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. To the point I'm shocked there wasn't a lawsuit.

Honestly, it couldn't be any less ridiculous than producers pulling story elements from The Hobbit for most of the Alien 3 script. Trying watching the film now after seeing Desolation of Smaug, the producers obviously scrambling for material were writing scenes just before they were shot.

Fox getting on board might be a tough sell since they did take a huge hit from Aliens: Colonial Marines turning out to be a huge clusterfuck, having a film slightly connected to the game might be a reason why they could turn it down.

Then again, with Blomkamp involved it could see more interested parties include Sigourney Weaver who just worked with the director on Chappie. Weaver has been vocal since the 90s and even up until recently to finally give Ripley another shot in fifth Alien film. I'm also sure that Michael and Lance would jump at the chance to reprise their roles as well.

Neill Blomkamp hasn't announced his next film but it's expected his next film could be based on his short film Yellow which focuses on cyborgs. However, he did sound like he was interested in returning the Alien project at some point in the future with studio backing it could be enough to push him into serious development.

AVATAR 2 Delayed Until 2017 And Could Effect BATTLE ANGEL's Development

There is word from James Cameron (via Coming Soon) that his Avatar sequel with the working title of Avatar 2 is now being delayed from it's original release date of December 2016 to December 2017. The delays are due to the extensive writing needed to make sure all three sequels are cohesive with each other. Cameron still expects to shoot all three films at the same which is likely apart of the delay.

“There’s a layer of complexity in getting the story to work as a saga across three films that you don’t get when you’re making a stand-alone film,” said Cameron.“We’re writing three simultaneously. And we’ve done that so that everything tracks throughout the three films. We’re not just going to do one and then make up another one and another one after that and parallel with that, we’re doing all the design. So we’ve designed all the creatures and the environments.” 

This makes sense since the team of writers include Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver working on Avatar 2 and Avatar 3, while Shane Salerno is writing Avatar 4 . James Cameron being involved with development on all three scripts. A rather large task since he's also directing all three films as well.

The news will likely also see delays with both Avatar 3 and Avatar 4 release dates as well pushing them to December 2018 and December 2019.

Hey look! It's a Battle Angel t-shirt.

Like most, we were all shocked when James Cameron announced he was making three sequels to Avatar. It's a bizarre move on the part of Cameron considering all the criticism he received for the film's boring and predictable story.

I'm sort of lamenting to all the wonderful films he could be making instead of focusing on this sub-par science fiction franchise. It's $2.7 billion box office is likely one of driving factors along with his nutty belief these films could help the environmental movement.

Fans like myself would rather see James Cameron focusing on more gritty material and getting back to his Terminator and Aliens roots.

Back in 2013, James Cameron did confirm to fellow director Alfonso Cauron during the TAG DF event that he was indeed going to be returning to Battle Angel Alita once production on Avatar 3 was completed in 2017. The project titled Alita is an adaptation of the manga and anime.

Combined with news that Avatar 2 will be delayed until 2017 and a third sequel added to the lineup since his announced development plans for Alita. I'm curious if the film will ever get made or will be further delayed.

Cameron had been originally developing the manga/anime adaptation's script with screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis (Ghost In The Shell, Terminator Genesys, Avatar, Shutter Island) while shooting Avatar and you can even spot him wearing a Battle Angel t-shirt on the set in the picture above.

Jim started commissioning design work on the film in 2008 which gives you an idea how long he's been working on the project. Cameron would eventually shoot test-footage for the film but it never seemed to make it's way online or to the public.

Alita, a cyborg who has lost all memories and is found in a garbage heap by a cybernetics doctor who rebuilds and takes care of her. She discovers that there is one thing she remembers, the legendary cyborg martial art Panzer Kunst, which leads to her becoming a Hunter Warrior or bounty hunter. The story traces Alita's attempts to rediscover her past and the characters whose lives she impacts on her journey. 



The project is like a mix of Blade Runner, Rollerball and Akira meets Ghost In The Shell with organ/robotic implant thievery. Littered with hardcore action and violence more in the realm of a Paul Verhoeven film like Robcop or Total Recall. Not to mention the protagonist of the film would be a very young girl.

During it's original development there had been a large demand to see Juno's Ellen Page take the role of Alita. Since then she would go on to star in huge blockbusters such as X-Men Days of Future Past and Christopher Nolan's Inception. Fox has even played with the idea of a Kitty Pryde spin-off but no official plans have been made.

It's more than likely that Page has aged-out of the role since the test footage was described to have an actress that looked like she was fourteen years old.

A younger actress who I think would be perfect for the role is Joey King (The Conjuring, Fargo, Crazy Stupid Love, Battle LA). You might remember she played a young Talia al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

SOURCE: AP

How Neill Blomkamp And Sigourney Weaver Could Team-Up To Convince Fox To Make ALIEN XENO

We know that writer-director Neill Blomkamp has been secretly commissioning artwork for an Alien film (working title Alien Xeno) but wasn't on the radar of 20th Century Fox who own the franchise. He instead tried to come-up with his own take on the saga, which seemingly had the return of Ripley and Hicks. The two surviving their on-screen deaths in Alien 3, and back to stopping the evil Weyland Corporation from using the xenomorphs for bio-weapons. Essentially becoming the Aliens sequel that James Cameron was never allowed to make.

For starters there is a new guard at Fox, something that happens every so often. The people who nixed the original plan to have Weaver reprise the Ripley role in Alien 5 are now gone. That pitch had James Cameron set to work with Joss Whedon on a script with Ridley Scott attached to direct the film. Instead Fox went with Aliens Vs Predators and everyone just walked away from the franchise. Of course Ridley returning only to play around with his Space Jockey origin in Prometheus installments.

We know that the xenomorph we know and love won't be apart of Fox's Prometheus sequel, as this was confirmed by Ridley himself. That seems to leave a few options on the table for Fox to consider new mainstream Alien saga films. Appeasing the fans who felt cheated with Prometheus and are still hungering for more movies. I've mentioned before about mining the rich world created for the space station setting of Alien Isolation which has Ripley's daughter Amanda becoming the protagonist. While this could be an excellent one-off or soft reboot, I'm convinced we could have another round with Ellen Ripley. The best thing about Xeno, it won't conflict with either Prometheus or Isolation as the two are set in the past.

Sigourney Weaver has stated she's extremely open to playing Ripley one more time to give fans that finally climax we never really had. This could have the events of the fourth film continue with the cloned Ripley continuing to seek out the aliens and destroying them. Another aspect would be to ignore the events of the last two films entirely. Allowing Ripley to be herself and really explore what would have happened if Weyland-Yutani did in fact finally get ahold of the aliens.

Weaver recently working with Neill Blomkamp on Chappie is how the two become a united front. We know that Neill isn't entirely finished with his project, since it was never developed far enough to actually pitch to Fox. Stating he'd love to return to it someday. Having a working relationship with Weaver could sort out the bullshit that sort of happened when the studio tried hiring directors on the last two films. The biggest hurtle not having a director involved with the script. We know that Blomkamp gets this subject matter better than most, since all of his films centre around evil governments or corporations.

His films also aren't as costly as some may think they are compared to other films in the action and science fiction genre. District 9's budget blew everyone away when it was revealed it only cost around $40M to make. This type of low budget should peek the interest of the studio, who might see it risky to return to the Ripley saga forking over $100M+. Blomkamp's background in digital effects and his working relationship with Weta Workshop/Digital should also be considered by Fox.

Fox wisely hired both Andy Serkis and the team over at Weta to handle their new Planet of The Apes franchise which has become a powerhouse after Matt Reeve's Dawn of The Planet of The Apes. I assume Weta could help the pump new blood into the Alien saga as well, if they pursue Blomkamp's idea. I still think the key to grounding this universe is the right amount of digital and practical effects. Blomkamp being one of the better filmmakers able to mix the two together.

I'm also sure that Sigourney knows she could relax a bit on her fees which became a heated issue with both the studio and producers. An aspect that likely led to hiring mostly unknowns for Paul W. Anderson's lousy AVP film.

Lastly, name James Cameron and Jon Landau (Avatar, Titanic) as the project's producers. Yes, we know that James has washed his hands of the franchise after AVP but might be interested to learn Blomkamp's desire to bring back Hicks and even possibly an adult version of Newt.

Getting the mostly jaded Cameron on board to either help with the story or give his blessings as it's producer. This could only help the project find new legs, since Fox is likely already interested in the prospect. Getting James involved could only help things move faster. Plus, we know he'll be focusing on his Avatar films and will never pursue a previous franchise again. Stating he'll let the Terminator rights die when they revert back to him.

Landau could act as a go between Blomkamp and Cameron, since we know Jim will be extremely busy with his three Avatar sequels. I'd also like to see Walter Hill's participation limited, only because I believe he might have been the reason behind a lot of the friction over the years.

Cameron is still on really good terms with Weaver putting her in Avatar and promising to have the actress return for the sequels. The assumption that one of them could be a prequel focusing on her character as the focus of it.


I'd hope to see X-Men and Star Wars writer-producer Simon Kinberg get involved too since he produced both Elysium and Chappie. It doesn't hurt that Simon is already making successful waves at 20th Century Fox.

I could totally see him and Cameron breaking a story together or Simon on his own then working on the screenplay with Neill. Fox has shown they have a lot of confidence with Kingberg, so Blomkamp using that to his advantage might be a good move.

Getting three producers with deep Fox roots would be key here to get them on board for the project. I do think Kinberg is the best shot though, since Jim and Jon will be busy with their sequels. Simon being the most likely of the three to get involved.

Side note, I can already picture Shartlo Copley playing a slimeball Weyland executive or one of their mercenaries in-charge of the facility's security.

New CHAPPIE Trailer Beefs-Up Hugh Jackman's Role As Villain And Sigourney Weaver Finally Appears

A second trailer for Neill Blomkamp's South African robot action flick Chappie has been released by Sony. It shows a lot more action set pieces than the previous trailer along with beefing-up Hugh Jackman's role as the film's villain. Having him controlling his own weaponized robot which looked a but similar to ED-209 from Robocop. While we did hear a voice over from Sigourney Weaver in the first trailer this our first glimpse of the actress in the film.

I'm still beyond curious to see if rappers Die Antwoord have any scenes with Jackman, because it would be hilarious.




SOURCE: SONY

Not So Fast..Neill Blomkamp Might Return To Developing His Secret ALIEN Movie XENO

While most of us have tried to "close the book" on Neill Blomkamp's sequel to Aliens he was secretly developing as completely dead. His last words on his final posting of artwork on Instagram, gives another narrative. Stating he'd still like to return to it, as he loves that world. Hence, there is a chance he could go back and take another crack at a pitch. I'm sure 20th Century Fox has been ringing his offices like crazy since they returned from holidays.

"maybe I'll go back to it ....love the world"

Neill is also likely weighing options for other studio pitches as well, he could any number of original concepts. His cyborg short film Yellow being a huge candidate to be turned into a feature film. Another option is making his sequel to District 9. I'm sure if a deal can't be made for an original project he could return to Xeno and begin talks with Fox. Considering Ridley Scott has confirmed Prometheus 2 will sever ties with the xenomorphs, Fox might be looking for ways to return to the real Alien saga.

And Doug Williams - maybe I'll go back to it ....love the world

Ein von Brownsnout (@neillblomkamp) gepostetes Foto am Jan 1, 2015 at 9:44 PST

SOURCE: INSTAGRAM

Neill Blomkamp Secretly Working On An ALIENS Sequel, Fox Make This Movie Now!

Writer-director Neill Blomkamp is arguably one of the few original voices in the world of science fiction filmmaking. Having left a troubled Halo film franchise, after the project fell apart at the studio. Only to make three original films within the science fiction genre via District 9, Elysium and the upcoming Chappie. Neill, along with Duncan Jones have been making waves within the genre and I've kind of seen them act as this era's version of Ridley Scott and James Cameron, but at a much smaller scale.

We really haven't heard too much chatter from Blomkamp about playing around in other franchises, the expectation he would never want to. However, this is seemingly not the case as the Neill posted a bunch of concept art for an Aliens sequel (titled Alien: Xeno?) on Instagram. He points-out on Twitter that 20th Century Fox had no idea this was going on. I'm sure they'll be eagerly contacting him as this has been gathering a lot of buzz online. Blomkamp is also hinting he might be going with something else instead, which is a shame. Although, if Fox is smart they'll consider making a development deal with Blomkamp.

Was working on this. Don't think I am anymore. Love it though. #alien #xenomorph http://t.co/3T4iINZG18
— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) January 2, 2015

Ps this has nothing to do with the studio. I just feel like I might do something else instead. In which case why not show some work-
— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) January 2, 2015

They didn't really even know I was working on it ha
— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) January 2, 2015

I assume this film would take the place of the events from both Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Since the artwork includes Hicks and Ripley getting back together to kick-ass. Hicks and Newt were controversially killed-off in the opening scene of Alien3, a move that had James Cameron scratching his head. Having just spent an entire film setting-up Ripley's connection and relationships with both three-dimensional characters. We know that at one time James and Ridley Scott came together to pitch Alien 5, which was rejected in-favor for Alien Vs Predator. Leading to Cameron washing his hands of the franchise.

You can kind of get what the plot of the film was likely going to be in the images. As it looks like the Weyland Corporation has recovered the derelict ship, finally got their hands on the xenomorph and the space jockey technology. Ripley and Hicks going on a suicide mission to destroy the ship and the research facility. I assume by the time they get there the xenos are already running-a-muck, since an alien queen is lumbering around the facility in one concept shot.

The interesting part in all this is that Sigourney Weaver has mentioned in the press about being-up for another installment if the studio was game. Michael Biehn I'm sure would be game as well if this is the sort of direction they're going for. Since he just reprised the role of Hicks in the Aliens: Colonial Marines video game.

Another awesome aspect, this movie wouldn't interfere with either Prometheus 2 or an Alien: Isolation adaptation. Since both projects take place way before the events of Aliens and this possible concept. It should be noted that one of the pieces of artwork is dated March 2014, so this is stuff was recently put together by Blomkamp.

I really do think Fox should contract Blomkamp about this project, even if it isn't his next film after Chappie. This honestly feels like where Cameron would have gone if Fox had waited for him to make Alien3, so it's an exciting prospect with lots of potential.

Over the summer it was revealed that Fox was developing a direct sequel to Predator with Shane Black. If they're retreading with that franchise, they might as do the same for the much more popular Alien saga. Giving fans that film we always wanted to see.

SOURCE: INSTAGRAM

Sigourney Weaver Still Open To Making ALIEN 5 And Finishing The Ripley Saga

A fifth Alien movie has been in development and limbo for almost two decades, but a new glimmer of hope has arrived. Sigourney Weaver recently commented on her desire to reprise the role of Ripley and finally end her story for good in Alien 5. For years she's been hinting that she wants it to happen, I'm sure Fox wants that as well, but wants to round-out their Prometheus sequel first. Here's what Weaver had to say at the Hero Complex Film Festival.

“Had we done a fifth one, I don’t doubt that her humanity would have prevailed. …I do feel like there is more story to tell.”

“I feel a longing from fans for the story to be finished,” she said, adding, “I could imagine a situation where we finish telling the story.”

Ideas and scripts for fifth film has been been kicking around for almost 20 years. You might remember that in Alien Resurrection, Joss Whedon and Fox left a large potential for more films. Leaving the xenomorph-hybrid Ripley clone alive on Earth (Paris, France to be exact) with her new pirate comrades. There had been versions of the script that included xenomorphs being set loose on Earth, which Weaver was very much against. Here's a little quote from Signourney about making a fifth movie.

"We were thinking about doing this fifth one, and I didn't really want to go ahead and do it on Earth," Weaver revealed. "So we kind of left the sentence unfinished. There's something slightly unfinished to me about it. I wasn't too keen to come to Earth. I always feel that science fiction, when it comes to Earth, it's a little [Weaver mimics yawning]. I wanted to go back to the original planet that the space jockey brought the eggs from and go back into the alien world rather than have the alien arrive in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower."

Joss Whedon admittedly started work on writing the next film, it's unknown how much of his work was going to be used in fifth installment. At one point Ridley Scott and James Cameron were willing to partner for Alien 5, Weaver agreed to return as well. Cameron would write-produce (I assume with some help from Whedon?) the film with Ridley set to direct. The studio decided on making Alien Vs Predator instead, and James Cameron walked away completely disgusted by the move. The idea was to have Ripley seek-out the origin planet of the xenomorphs and destroy them completely. You can understand how that idea of the xenomorph planet, may have influenced the concepts for Pandora.

This led to Fox developing the two-part prequel Alien: Origins, which would explore the origins of space jockey alien and where the xenomorphs came from. This was later turned into what we now know as Prometheus, and Fox was able to wrangle Ridley Scott back into the director's chair. I know a lot of people where expecting the first film to answer all their questions, but it was always envisioned as two-parter. Prometheus 2 (Paradise) will likely hold the answers most were assuming would be revealed in the first film.

The ball is in the court of 20th Century Fox, who is seemingly putting all their effort into their X-Men and Avatar franchises. Here is hoping they do the right thing and get this project moving again, as Prometheus has become it's own animal and only slightly connected to the Alien franchise. Fans have been waiting since 1997 for this to happen, let's not let that opportunity just disappear.

SOURCE: LATIMES

ZOMBIELAND Director Ruben Fleisher In The Mix For GHOSTBUSTERS 3?

During the recent Ant-Man madness concerning who will replace Edgar Wright, a tidbit was dropped about Ghosbusters 3. TheWrap reveals that Sony is considering Zombieland's Ruben Fleisher (Gangster Squad, 30 Minutes or Less) to the direct the film, after Ivan Reitman exited. The studio seems hellbent on getting this movie made.

We know that Bill Murray wants nothing to do with the film, but did work with Ruben on Zombieland. Which did homage Murray's iconic role in Ghosbusters. Emma Stone and Jonah Hill were pursued for the two new leads, the former was also in Zombieland. I'm not entirely sure if we'll end up getting our Peter Venkman ghost cameo, but at least we know Fleisher respects the original material.

SOURCE: THEWRAP

Aaron Paul Coud Join The Growing Cast Of Ridley Scott's Bible Epic EXODUS Starring Christian Bale And Joel Edgerton

TheWrap reports that Breaking Bad actor has in talks for a high-profile role in Ridley Scott's Exodus which focuses on the tale of Moses. The rest of new the additions include Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver and John Turturro. Paul would play Joshua, the Hebrew slave who led Jews to the promised land and kept a close watch on his friend Moses. Bale will play Moses while Joel Edgerton in the role of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II.

Wesley Snipes Confirmed For EXPENDABLES 3 Joining Fellow Newbie Jackie Chan, While A Director Hasn't Been Locked Down

AICN reports and Sly confirms that Wesley Snipes (Blade, Demolition Man, Money Train) has joined the new lineup of Expendables 3. Jackie Chan also joined the cast a while back but a director hasn't been announced yet. Stallone recently teased that he was considering Mel Gibson (Braveheart) while previously John Woo (MI2, Hard Boiled, The Killer, Face/Off) had been linked as well. No word if Sly is still pursuing other actors such as Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver and Gina Carano.

Jackie Chan Confirms Involvement With EXPENDABLES 3?

Jackie Chan currently promoting a new film confirmed talks with Sly Stallone for Expendables 3. It has been rumored that Nicolas Cage could be joining as well. He's also trying to get female cast members such as Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano.

"Sly had invited me to be in "Expendables 2" but I was too busy filming "CZ12" and couldn't make a commitment to the film. But he did extend his invitation to the third movie, which I agreed on the condition that I will be appearing as more than just a minor role with a few scenes,"

Stallone Hints He Wants To Cast Sigourney Weaver, Gina Carano And Michelle Rodriguez In EXPENDABLES 3

During an interview with BestMovie (via BleedingCool) Sly Stallone gave some hints to where Expendables 3 could be going. He gives the impression that they could be looking for new replacements which ends up with them training them. Basically a team made up of hotshots like Liam Hemsworth's character from the last film. The next film could even include female characters as he drops hints he would be interested in bringing in Sigourney Weaver, Gina Carano and Michelle Rodriguez. Previously, it's been mentioned Sly and producers are trying to cast Nicolas Cage (not confirmed yet!), Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes as well.

The Expendables… they’re broken up, they’re shot, they’ve had it, they’re done. We have to hire new us, we have to find new Expendables, but there are none! They don’t make people like us anymore; they are all like robots. So I can go out and hire five young guys, but they’re the new army, they got drones and technology, but they’re not like us. Remember in Tropic Thunder? Just like those guys!

There’s another combination, and it involves girlfriends. Say I got divorced, say I am married to Sigourney Weaver, then she gets half the Expendables, she gets what I call The Expendabelles. So I need help and I have to go to her. And I’d like to have like Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano. It’ll be something like that, very different… The main thing is it can’t be about us! We’re done. We need to bring in new blood. And you bring in geeks and girls and women, people who are different.

Those are three names synonymous with ass-kicking female characters. Weaver playing the iconic Ripley and Rodriguez being the go-to-lady for action flicks such as Avatar, Resident Evil, Machete 1-2 and the Fast And Furious franchise. Carano had been a fan favorite when Stallone was casting Expendables 2 but ultimately didn't get the role. Rodriguez and Carano recently worked together on Fast And Furious 6. Weaver starred in a action heavy role alongside Bruce Willis in The Cold Light of Day. So I assume these projects have peeked Sly's interest in casting them.

We know that Carano is leading her own Expendables-like project with female members that include Zoe Bell (Death Proof, Gamer) and Katee Sackhoff (Riddick, Battlestar Galactica). Perhaps, that team could be included in Expendables 3 leading to their own franchise? I wouldn't be shocked to hear Bell and Sackhoff's names also included if that's indeed what the aim is.

Gina Carano Attached To Female Version Of EXPENDABLES

Variety reports that Gina Carano (MMA fighter turned action star) has attached herself to an unnamed female driven action project inspired by The Expendables. Gina has recently taken some solid action roles with Haywire and Fast And Furious 6. During speculation for the casting of Expendables 2 Gina's name had been tossed around for a late addition or consideration for Expendables 3. There had been speculation that names like Linda Hamilton (Terminator 1-2) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien franchise) could also end up be pursued for roles as well. I wouldn't rule out names like Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Avatar), Kate Beckinsale (Underworld, Total Recall), Michelle Rodriguez (Machete) and Noomi Rapace (Sherlock Holmes 2, Prometheus, Dragon Tattoo) also ending up in the mix.

James Cameron Wanted To Direct 'ALIEN 5' Starring Weaver And Schwarzenegger

Prometheus has divided fans and new audiences alike but is an interesting addition to the longstanding Alien saga. Before it's development as an Alien prequel Prometheus had originally been discussed as Alien 5 seeing the return of Ripley. There had been talks between Ridley Scott and James Cameron on how to continue the Ripley story in another movie. Scott and Cameron had planned on becoming producing partners with Jim handling the direction. They presented this pitch to the studio only to have Fox move forward with the infamously terrible AVP. Cameron spoke to AICN stating the studio made him upset choosing AVP over a Scott/Cameron Alien 5.

Fox would later greenlight Avatar and Cameron has been obsessed with his $2.8 billion franchise's future ever since.  He has since announced that Alita and the Avatar sequels will be his only focus from now on. This dashes any chances of Jim returning to director future Alien or Terminator films. It's sill fun to imagine what could have been if Jim and Ridley ended up working together on the fifth installment.

"Yeah. Ridley and I talked about doing another ALIEN film and I said to 20th Century Fox that I would develop a 5th ALIEN film. I started working on a story, I was working with another writer and Fox came back to me and said, "We've got this really good script for ALIEN VS PREDATOR and I got pretty upset. I said, "You do that you're going to kill the validity of the franchise in my mind." Because to me, that was FRANKENSTEIN MEETS WEREWOLF. It was Universal just taking their assets and starting to play them off against each other."

A quote from Dark Horizons in 2003 gives the impression the film would have brought the series back to the original roots of Aliens. A hard-nosed action film with plenty of character development and a familiar face added to the cast. Cameron and Ridley were going to develop a new story with Sigourney back as Ripley and Arnold Schwarzenegger in a new supporting role along with a new lineup of interesting characters. How these new characters would have factored into this project isn't fully known. There had been talk of going to the xenomorph's harsh home planet (Pandora?) which could have come from Jim's then unproduced script for Avatar.

"To an extent. yes. We’re looking at doing another one. Something similar to what we did with Aliens. A bunch of great characters, and of course Sigourney. I’ve even discussed the possibility of putting him [Arnold Schwarzenegger] into the Alien movie."

RUNDOWN OF ALIEN 4 AND WHEDON'S ALIEN 5 SCRIPT

Alien Resurrection like every other Alien film had script issues and an interesting group of prospective directors. Some future big names were involved in early talks which included Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting), Peter Jackson (pre-Lord of The Rings) and Bryan Singer (pre-X-Men). The studio ended up going with French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet who was known for his unique visual style at the time. Toy Story screenwriter Joss Whedon was hired to develop a script which for the most part kept getting rejected by the studio. An early draft focused on a clone of Newt from Aliens but would later be asked to change it to Ripley, a third-act set on Earth was also axed. Joss wrote five versions of the final act none of which ended up in final film. Whedon is best known for writing excellent characters and the pirates of the Betty had the Whedon stamp all over them.

 In the director's cut, the Betty lands on Earth leaving the door open for the return of Ripley, Call, Johner and Vriess for Alien 5. Whedon wrote a script for Alien 5 which would take place on Earth ending with a battle for the planet but Weaver couldn't buy into it's setting. It would eventually develop into what we know now as Prometheus and the Ripley saga has pretty much ended. A very interesting juxtapose as years later Joss would see his name alongside Cameron with Avengers becoming the 3rd highest grossing movie of all-time just under Titanic. Do you think 20th Century Fox should maybe consider hiring Whedon to write the Prometheus sequel's script?



ALIEN 3 COULD HAVE ALSO BEEN DIRECTED BY CAMERON

Cameron had a similar issue trying to put Alien 3 together as he was committed to make a Terminator sequel first.  Jim had planned to keep Ripley, Newt, Hicks and Bishop alive for the next installment as an unconventional family unit placed in a new story. The studio got impatient with Cameron and started work on hiring a new director and developing stories/scripts. The director didn't mix words about the botched sequel and gave a true reaction to his much-loved characters being killed off. I couldn't agree with Jim more here as the franchise never really was able to recreate the identifying characters that were showcased in Aliens.

"This isn’t a man whose going to whitewash his opinion either, take for example his reaction to “Alien 3″ – “Hated it. Simple as that. I hated what they did…. I couldn’t stand Alien 3 – how they could just go in there and kill off all these great characters we introduced in aliens, and the correlation between mother and daughter. It stunk, but hopefully I’ll get a chance to rectify all that."

Fox hoped they could convince Ridley Scott to come back for the third installment which didn't work out. Weaver had made it known she felt slighted by the studio when they cut her emotional scenes in Aliens and really wanted to be done with Ripley. So producers would start develop early concepts focusing around Hicks being the new hero in "a complex two-part story that offered the underhanded Weyland-Yutani Corporation facing off with a militarily aggressive culture of humans whose rigid socialist ideology has caused them to separate from Earth's society" development during the early stages. Weaver's role in Alien 3 would have been just a cameo which she seemed happy with. Then Alien 4 would bring her back "in an epic battle with alien warriors mass produced by the expatriated Earthlings." Having Michael Biehn become the new face of the franchise seemed like a natural progression and logical way to keep the films going. He did prove in both Terminator and Aliens he was capable as an action star similar to Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.

One of the scripts had the inclusion of a prison planet where the population was being experimented by the company which was written by David Twohy (influencing his Riddick franchise?). That aspect of David's script was used along with some bits from others. By the end of it the producers ended up rewriting the shooting script with Weaver back in the lead earning for the time a big paycheck of $5 million. Fox hired newcomer David Fincher and had one of the most worked on scripts in the franchise history. There had been six different writers (William Gibson, Eric Red, David Twohy, Walter Hill, Vincent Ward, David Giler) not including the uncredited work from Fincher and Rex Pickett. The producers felt it necessary to kill off both Hicks and Newt within the opening of the film. Whatever the reason this choice pretty much destroyed any hope of Cameron's ideas to be put on screen.

Cameron's additions to the franchise are legendary having some of the biggest impacts on the mythology besides the original film. He helped usher in the Alien Queen along with expanding the long arm of Weyland-Yutani's greed and expendable employees (colonists/marines). We get too see off-world colonies done seriously and some of the best practical effects in movie history. The horror of Hadley's Hope has to be the greatest moment in sci-fi horror history because the siege on the colonists was never shot, you're imagination fills in the gory details. Not to mention creating some of the most memorable quotes and characters of the entire saga. It's a shame that Cameron will never direct another Alien film but there is always hope he can be involved in other ways, maybe as story consultant?

The Cold Light Of Day Trailer

Elizabeth Olsen Joins Cillian Murphy, De Niro & Sigourney Weaver In Red Lights

Elizabeth Olsen is quickly becoming the breakout actress of Sundance 2011. Her two films Silent House and Martha Marcy May Marlene are getting solid reviews. The latter recently being bought up by Paramount. Olsen has just been cast in Red Lights according to HollywoodReporter. Elizabeth will join Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy who have been previous cast in the supernatural thriller. The follow up to Buried from director Rodrigo Cortes focuses on a psychology professor (Weaver) who tries to investigate a world-renowned psychic (De Niro).

More Join Foster & Harrelson In Rampart, Coming In 2011

Rampart is an adaptation of the novel by James Ellroy and is centered on the widespread corruption in the anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division in the late 1990s. It is a reunion for Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson with writer/director Oren Moverman who worked with the two on The Messenger.

I previously mentioned the inclusion of Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Ice Cube and Sigourney Weaver. The film is now in post-production but I noticed the new additions of Robin Wright (Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Brie Larson (United States of Tara, Scott Pilgrim), Joe Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon in the casting. Rampart is expected to be released sometime in the new year.

Aykroyd Confirms Hader, Faris & Dushku In Talks For Ghostbusters 3

BloodyDisgusting got a tip that Dan Aykroyd was talking Ghostbusters 3 casting rumors. He confirmed that Anna Faris, Bill Hader and Eliza Dushku (True Lies, Buffy) are "strong possibilities" to join the film. Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver are also expected to return along with other original cast members. Currently Dan and Harold Ramis are putting finishing touches on the script with a rumored spring/summer production start date.