Ridley Scott has confirmed that a sequel to Alien: Covenant is in development, potentially completing the Alien prequel trilogy he began with Prometheus in 2012. The announcement came during a Los Angeles Times interview in which Scott was promoting The Dog Stars, immediately putting the long-discussed continuation of the franchise back in the spotlight.
Scott confirmed that the follow-up is actively being developed and will once again centre on Michael Fassbender’s David, the synthetic android who became one of the most compelling and disturbing figures in both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Scott described the story as David creating a “brave new world for himself”, while also indicating that the film will explore the idea of AI going awry.
That premise follows directly from the disturbing ending of Alien: Covenant. David successfully impersonated the android Walter and escaped aboard the Covenant, a colony ship carrying 2,000 humans in hibernation and travelling towards Origae-6. In the film’s final moments, David places two Xenomorph embryos among the colonists, leaving the fate of the sleeping passengers — and the future of the species — hanging in the balance.
Scott has previously described the 2,000 colonists aboard the ship as an enormous resource for David, with the filmmaker comparing the situation to a bomb. The implication is that David could use the colonists as the foundation for the new world he intends to create. The idea would take the prequel storyline further into the themes of artificial intelligence, creation and the origins of the Xenomorphs.
The project is being developed alongside another strand of the Alien franchise. Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus, released in 2024, became a significant box-office success, earning more than $350 million worldwide while receiving strong critical notices. A sequel to Romulus is also reportedly in development at 20th Century Studios. That leaves two separate Alien storylines in development: Scott’s David-focused prequel continuation and Álvarez’s timeline.
Scott’s third prequel is not expected to be his immediate next project. The Dog Stars, his post-apocalyptic film starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, is scheduled for release on August 28. He is also developing Treasure Island, a pirate adventure starring Hugh Jackman. The third Alien prequel, which has been referred to as Alien: Awakening during development, would come after those projects, making production at least a year or two away based on the current slate.
Scott’s decision to continue David’s story is particularly significant because Alien: Covenant ended on an intentionally unresolved note. David remains one of the franchise’s most distinctive characters — a synthetic being who has developed creativity and ambition alongside increasingly disturbing ideas about creation and life. His control over 2,000 sleeping colonists leaves an enormous unanswered question at the centre of the prequel storyline.
There is currently no confirmed release date or production schedule for the third prequel. For now, Scott has confirmed his intention to continue the story, meaning David’s journey — and his plans for the future of the Xenomorph — may finally receive the conclusion that Alien: Covenant left unresolved.
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