‘Alien 5’: Michael Biehn Says Ridley Scott “Put The Brakes” On Neill Blomkamp’s Anticipated Legacy Sequel

Filmmaker James Cameron is out promoting his next mega-event sequel “Avatar: Fire & Ash” and was able to sit down with longtime pal and actor Michael Biehn (“Terminator,” “Aliens”) on his podcast, Just Fooling About with Michael Biehn, and the two talked about all sorts of topics, and one of those was the “Alien” franchise, where Cameron shared various gripes, praise, and critiques. As the two were talking about more recent “Alien” projects, Biehn reiterated that the fate of Neill Blomkamp‘s “Alien 5” was in the hands of Ridley Scott.

“We can just say it now, Ridley Scott put the brakes on Blomkamp’s idea,” Biehn said of “Alien 5,” the actor backing up previous statements made by both Blomkamp and Sigourney Weaver that Scott wasn’t terribly thrilled with the project and was instrumental in its ultimate death.

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One of the more tantalizing aspects of Blomkamp’s legacy sequel was that it would attempt to rectify the glib events of David Fincher‘s “Alien 3” by reuniting Ripley with Biehn’s Hicks, Newt, and even the artificial person, Bishop (after they had been killed off in the third installment). Cameron has been quite public about his disgust that 20th Century Fox and producers would end up killing his “Aliens” characters in the opening sequences of the third installment (a broken Bishop would have a brief interaction before being decommissioned or switched off by Ripley).

Some of the concept art released by Blomkamp and various artists revealed a movie that would have seen Weyland-Yutani getting their hands on a derelict ship filled to the brim with Xenomorph eggs and leading them to develop various bio-weapons, including what looked like a Xenomorph suit (mirroring some of the elements seen in Noah Hawley‘s “Alien: Earth” series) and a new bald android that looks eeriely like “Chappie” actor Hugh Jackman.

While Cameron is still involved with the “Terminator” franchise (his own creation, mind you) tackling a new installment that will focus on “a new generation of characters,” he’s not terribly interested in coming back to the world of “Alien” anytime soon, telling Biehn, “You couldn’t pay me enough money to go back to that franchise, it’s almost become fan-driven.” A definitive sentiment that likely goes back to his own miserable experience trying to get the original version of “Alien 5” (a follow-up to “Alien Resurrection” that was expected to explore the origin of the Xenomorphs) off the ground with Scott poised to direct (Cameron was expected to produce and assist as a screenwriter), but the studio ultimately went with Paul W.S. Anderson‘s “Alien vs. Predator” instead. Scott would eventually pivot back, and the project morphed over the years into the prequel “Prometheus.”

That all said, “Alien 5” may find new life with Disney/20th Century Studios in the wake of the success of “Alien: Earth” and “Alien: Romulus,” rekindling new energy and audience demand. Weaver had recently talked up meeting with the studio about the potential with longtime franchise producer/screenwriter Water Hill offering up story/script ideas he’s been mulling over, as Ripley could be locked away in some prison.

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You can view that full exchange between Cameron and Biehn below, as “Avatar: Fire & Ash” is currently in theaters over the holiday season and beyond.