Neill Blomkamp To Direct New 'Alien' Movie, Produced By Ridley Scott

A new film in the Alien franchise has been announced. The upcoming project, produced by the original Alien director Ridley Scott, will be directed by Neill Blomkamp. Blomkamp is best known for directing District 9 and will work on the upcoming Alien project independently from Scott's other Alien franchise film, a sequel to Prometheus.

Neill Blomkamp will direct the upcoming Alien film.

20th Century Fox announced the news on Wednesday (18th February). Blomkamp has previously been linked to the film in the past but claimed the project had been cancelled. The 35-year-old director has since confirmed the news of his appointment via Instagram, uploading a picture of an Alien with the caption "Um... So I think it's officially my next film."

The upcoming film will reportedly be set years after Prometheus but will not be connected to the sequel, according to insiders speaking to Variety. Scott is set to direct the Prometheus sequel. The 2012 film, which starred Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, received mixed reviews despite being financially successful. There were a number of questions left unanswered with Prometheus but it is not yet known if the sequel will provide any clear answers. Scott has promised there will be a new species of Aliens and a whole design concept, as CinemaBlend reports.

The original Alien film, which was released in 1979, has become regarded as a classic and still retains its fan base. Sigourney Weaver starred in Alien and the following three sequels. She was rumoured to be returning for the upcoming Blomkamp project but it is yet to be confirmed if she will return as Ellen Ripley.