The Engineer (AKA the Space Jockey) is an extra-terrestrial being that has evoked a tremendous amount of wonder and awe among moviegoers – us included – ever since its existence was first teased in Ridley Scott’s seminal Alien movie of ’79, and fans have long wondered about the origin and biology of those towering, milky-white aliens, not to mention the true motivations fuelling their interstellar pursuits.
With Prometheus, Scott and his creative team sought to deliver some tangible answers to those burning questions, and wound up raising even more perplexing questions in the process. Its sequel, Alien: Covenant, represented a return to the franchise’s acid-smeared roots, though it’s fair to say that Scott’s prequel-sequel proved to be relatively divisive among viewers, spawning concerns that the beloved Alien series was teetering on the verge of franchise fatigue.
That being said, Covenant‘s lowly box office performance – $213 million worldwide at press time – has in no way quelled Ridley Scott’s enthusiasm for aggressive expansion, and the director himself has hinted that he plans to be back behind the lens within the next 14 months. A new interview uncovered by Alien-Covenant.com confirms as much, wherein Scott notes that those all-powerful Engineers will make a return for the untitled sequel, before deeming the extra-terrestrials to be the “gardeners of space.”
We’re being written now. There’ll be three or four different players coming in to investigate. One of which will be the Engineers arriving back to find their planet decimated. I think those ships come and go on regular intervals. I see them as the gardeners of space. Where we go next is obvious. We’re gonna actually go to the planet. In so doing…I’m not going to tell you the story!”
The planet that Scott is referring to is surely Paradise, the much-touted home of the Engineers. But after all this time, and even after Alien: Covenant‘s mixed reception, do you still want to see Ridley Scott complete his prequel trilogy? Do let us know.