‘Alien: Covenant’ to Take Place 10 Years After ‘Prometheus’

More and more details continue to trickle out regarding Ridley Scott’s Prometheus sequel / Alien prequel, Alien: Covenant. We know Michael Fassbender is returning, we know Katherine Waterston has a primary role as leader of a new derelict crew, and we know that the new trilogy of films (yes, trilogy, apparently) will explore not only where Engineers come from, but where Xenomorphs come from (nope, not the Xeno-stork). Today brings another interesting detail, which may explain the lack of Noomi Rapace’s involvement.

Scott previously said that Rapace’s Dr. Elizabeth Shaw will return for Alien: Covenant, though her appearance will be brief. Today’s update comes not from Scott, but from costume designer Janty Yates, who has worked with the director on every film since Gladiator. During a chat with Collider about The Martian, Yates briefly touched on Covenant, revealing that it takes place “10 years in the future beyond Prometheus.”

That could account for why Rapace’s appearance will be so fleeting — perhaps she dies in the opening sequence before flashing forward to the film’s present, or maybe we’ll see how she parted ways with Fassbender’s David (murder, it’s totally murder) via flashback.

At any rate, the time between movies allows Scott to play around a bit more and distance Covenant from Prometheus, making it more of a direct prequel that feeds into his original Alien film. The director recently said that the new film centers on a group of explorers who discover a seemingly uncharted paradise, a planet where the only inhabitant is David. Insert foreboding music cue.

Scott will begin filming Alien: Covenant early in the new year for a 2017 release date.