When Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters in 1979, it marked only his second theatrical release, and he had no inkling it would evolve into an enduring franchise. Now, as Alien celebrates its 45th anniversary, Scott reflects on the sequels he believes should have been helmed by him.

You can imagine I wasn’t happy, Scott admitted candidly. He elaborated, I should have done the sequels to ‘Alien’ and to ‘Blade Runner.’ You change over the years. At that time, I didn’t want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in—and then David Fincher—on ‘Alien 3.’

Evaluating Other Directors' Contributions

The baton of directing got passed along, first to James Cameron for Aliens. As Cameron recounts, I always thought of it as a war movie, not science fiction. This approach brought a fresh angle to the saga but also diverged markedly from Scott’s vision. David Fincher’s Alien 3, known for its grim tone, saw yet another shift in narrative and directorial style.

Return To Alien Franchise

Years after watching his creations evolve under different visions, Scott reclaimed a portion of the Alien universe with the prequels Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). Reflecting on this complex journey, he stated, I’m the author of two franchises. Most directors in Hollywood—certainly, let’s say, at my level—don’t let that stuff go.

Acknowledging Regrets

Scott isn’t shy about expressing his dissatisfaction with being sidelined from his own franchises. In his words, he was brought into Hollywood with a baptism by fire: I did Alien as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And Blade Runner was my third movie. So I had no choice because I had very tough partners. It was kind of ‘Welcome to Hollywood.’

A Look Ahead

The future remains bright for Scott with highly awaited projects like the release of Gladiator 2, featuring a star-studded cast including Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, scheduled for November 22. Furthermore, he’s producing the upcoming film Alien: Romulus, which promises to continue captivating audiences when it hits theaters on August 16.