Neill Blomkamp's 'Alien' Movie is Actually Happening!

When District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp dropped some concept art last month for a reimagining of Ridley Scott's Alien franchise, it immediately captured the enthusiasm of fans everywhere. But it didn't seem to be something he was ready to make, and certainly wasn't something immediately on 20th Century Fox's radar. Or so we thought. Apparently the studio not only loved the fan reaction, but they also took a liking to Blomkamp's pitch because his vision for the future of Alien is going to happen.

Blomkamp spilled the beans over Instagram earlier today....

Um... So I think it's officially my next film. #alien

A photo posted by Brownsnout (@neillblomkamp) on Feb 18, 2015 at 3:55pm PST

According to Variety, the film will be separate from plans for Prometheus 2, which Ridley Scott is still developing for release in 2016. Blomkamp's Alien movie will be a true sequel to the original franchise and will take place years into the future. If we're to go by the art it may include Sigourney Weaver's return as Ellen Ripley and Michael Biehn as a deformed Hicks. In fact, Blomkamp even talked to Weaver about it while filming Chappie, which she co-stars in.

Pretty awesome news, and perhaps the best chance for the franchise to get back on track after the lukewarm response to Prometheus.