James Cameron Says “You Couldn’t Pay Me Enough” to Return to ‘Alien’ Franchise

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While recent films like Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth show continued fan interest in the Alien series, director James Cameron isn’t thrilled with its direction. He acknowledged positive aspects of the new projects, but feels the franchise has become too focused on what fans want. Despite Ridley Scott’s return to direct Prometheus and Alien: Covenant after a long absence, Cameron doesn’t believe any amount of money could entice him to direct another Alien film.

Cameron shared his opinions on the series during an appearance on the podcast Just Foolin’ About, hosted by Aliens actor Michael Biehn.

I would never work at that company again, no matter how much they offered. It feels like the fans are really running things now.

I’ve been following this whole discussion, and when the filmmaker talked about the series being ‘fan-driven,’ I don’t think he meant it as a compliment to us fans. It seemed more like he felt the newer stories were just copying what already worked really well in the original, almost like fanfiction – you know, borrowing a lot from the source material without bringing much new to the table. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want to come back himself, but he did admit there were things he enjoyed in some of the more recent versions, which was nice to hear.

The new Alien movie is quite good. It clearly draws inspiration from Ridley Scott’s original film, our previous installments, and even David Fincher’s Alien 3, particularly in its use of intense, first-person perspectives.

James Cameron has shared his thoughts on Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus, saying he enjoyed certain aspects of it and found it to be inventive and unique. He specifically praised a scene where the characters are floating weightlessly amongst alien acid, calling it a well-executed and frightening moment.

Cameron also discussed a potential fifth Alien film he’d been developing for years. This movie would have taken place in a different timeline where Michael Biehn’s character, Hicks, survived the events of Alien 3 alongside Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Cameron explained that:

I’m not familiar with that situation. I’ve exchanged a few messages with Neill, but I don’t know the specifics. He’s a really creative person, though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was involved in something unique.

The Future of ‘Alien’


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Unlike some other science fiction series, the Alien franchise hasn’t been expanding rapidly. Before the 2024 release of Romulus, the last Alien movie was Alien: Covenant in 2017. Because Romulus was a critical and commercial success, a sequel is in development, though director Fede Álvarez won’t be returning to direct it. Since Romulus is more of a standalone story than a direct continuation of the main plot, it creates opportunities for other filmmakers to create additional spin-off films.

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Noah Hawley’s show, Alien: Earth, received positive reviews and steadily gained a large audience. Now, the show has been officially renewed for a second season.

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2025-12-31 05:03