When District 9 hit theaters several years back, director Neill Blomkamp was seen as one of the new, big, up-and-coming talents in the industry. Unfortunately, Blomkamp’s follow-up films weren’t nearly as well regarded. Between Elysium and Chappie, his credibility as a storyteller took a bit of a tumble. While his visual prowess was unquestioned, critics and fans weren’t quite sure if he had the chops to direct his own material. In order to truly rise to the next level, perhaps it would be best for him to get mentored into his next project.

Enter filmmaker Ridley Scott and the then-somewhat-dormant Alien franchise. Scott was coming off of the divisive Prometheus, a film that’s set in the world of Alien, but doesn’t necessarily connect as nicely as fans were hoping. Scott seemed to have a resurgence of interest in advancing the franchise he started decades prior, and he and Blomkamp began working (very publicly) at creating a whole new Alien flick — one that takes place after the events of Aliens (pretty much ignoring Alien 3 on).

However, Scott then went on a tangent with his sequel to Prometheus. All of a sudden, they were developing two Alien movies, one that take place before the original, and one that took place after the second one. With Scott looking to direct the former, it seemed inevitable that one would drop sooner or later. Would audiences really have the capacity to follow two projects that exist on opposite ends of the timeline? Given Scott’s involvement in the now-titled Alien: Covenant, it seemed to relegate the Blomkamp project to the sidelines.

But of course, in true Hollywood form, there was no official confirmation of a dead project. Fans were left to wonder and wait over what had become of the film.

Last week, in a response to a fan, Blomkamp finally answered a fan’s question, asking what the chances were of an Alien 5 film was actually going to happen.

His response was rather blunt, and all he said was one word: “Slim”

In Hollywood, there is no such thing as a fully dead project. Movies and TV shows can be resurrected at the drop of a hat. However, given Scott’s involvement in his own Alien film, it’s not unreasonable to assume the prospect of another sequel would have to wait until Scott was done laying the foundation in the prequels.

What do you make of this news? Are you sad that Blomkamp won’t be angel to take a stab at an Alien film? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.

SOURCE: Neill Blomkamp