20th Century Fox will very shortly be a part of Disney and that means so will the Alien franchise. Disney has already said they plan to continue to release films (expected to be R rated) under the Fox banner, but the future of the franchise remains in doubt after the disappointing Alien: Covenant.
However, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Alien, Ridley Scott’s classic from 1979, 20th Century Fox are releasing six short live-action films from the Alien franchise. These shorts were created in partnership with Tongal, who connect online filmmakers with studios to crowd source new content. I recall Tongal initially putting the word out there that they were looking for submissions for this project and in the end they received more than 550 of them. Six of these were selected to make into live-action shorts set in that Alien universe and these are teased in the video above.
Tongal Co-Founder and CEO James DeJulio said this partnership with Fox is “reflective of Tongal’s mission to bring creative opportunities to the next generation of talent.” And to allow rising filmmakers the “chance to make their mark on an iconic franchise and extend the Alien narrative.”
Below are synopsis for each of the 6 short films, check it out.
Alien: Alone — Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. Written and directed by Noah Miller.
Alien: Containment — Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. Written and directed by Chris Reading.
Alien: Harvest — The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell.
Alien: Night Shift — When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands. Written and directed by Aidan Breznick.
Alien: Ore — As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. Written and directed by the Spear Sisters.
Alien: Specimen — It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an Alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. Written and directed by Kelsey Taylor.
Frankly these sound far more interesting to me than Alien: Covenant was, but I guess we will see when these are released to fans on IGN‘s website beginning March 29, and will then be added to AlienUniverse.com and @AlienAnthology social media channels on May 5 along with some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. Also, some material from the project will be screened early to fans at the Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle, Washington on March 15, the C2E2 in Chicago on March 23, and WonderCon in Anaheim, California on March 30.
RELATED: R-Rated Animated Alien Series Reportedly In Development
Will you be checking out these short Alien movies when they arrive online, anyone hoping to catch these at any of the Comic-Con’s listed above? Infect the comments section below with your Xenomorph related chat.
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SOURCE: THR
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