Ridley Scott maintains that he has "contributed sufficiently" to the Alien saga, openly acknowledging that he viewed the series as having "lost its spark" following the fourth installment, Alien Resurrection. In a recent conversation with ScreenRant, Scott reminisced about his tenure with the extraterrestrial cinema phenomenon, stating, "I sensed its vitality waning after the fourth film. I believed mine was exceptionally strong, and Jim's was commendable too, but I must confess, the subsequent entries fell short." Despite his initial misgivings, Scott returned to the franchise in 2012 with Prometheus, the fifth film, and later helmed Alien: Covenant. "Years hence, I decided, 'I shall revive this,' and crafted Prometheus from scratch—a pristine canvas," he elaborated. "The response was overwhelming. The audience craved more."
Although the director harbors no intentions of directing another Alien film, he remains intricately involved in the franchise as an executive producer for Noah Hawley's upcoming prequel series, Alien: Earth. "Given its current trajectory, I feel I've fulfilled my part, and I sincerely hope it soars even higher," he expressed. Scott had previously conveyed to The Hollywood Reporter his belief that the franchise had "hit rock bottom" post the fourth film. Nevertheless, he reconsidered his stance and presented a fresh direction to the then-head of 20th Century Fox, Tom Rothman. "I revisited Rothman and proposed, 'There's a path forward. We must rejuvenate Alien through Prometheus,'" he recounted.
