Maybe Ridley Scott is Ready to Jump Back to 'Prometheus 2' After All

Now this might be interesting. In the latest issue of Total Film, the magazine has a profile on Ridley Scott for his upcoming space adventure The Martian. It's the latest sci-fi movie from Scott since Prometheus and he seems to have found his genre again. The director told the zine that he kind of "adores" science fiction again, which is an interesting full circle considering for years we touted his quote about how sci-fi films were as dead as westerns. Then he came along and made Prometheus, and everyone wanted him to stay away from sci-fi again. Now he's making The Martian, and it looks damn good, and I still want him to make more sci-fi. Because even though Prometheus didn't have a great script, it was still very invigorating for the genre.

We've been reporting on rumors and rumblings of the Prometheus sequel for a while. Then when Neill Blomkamp got hired to do another Alien, we thought that was the end to Prometheus for the time being, but apparently not. A scan on Scified.com (via Collider) shows the page where Ridley Scott discusses the genre, and says some interesting things about plans being set in motion. Here's the key paragraph quoted in text:

"There are five or six big spectacles [in The Martian]," promises Scott, who is again super-sizing by shooting in 3D, as he did on Prometheus and Exodus: Gods and Kings. "I've got back into the sci-fi thing. I kind of adore it." (After shaping the genre with Alien in 1979 and Blade Runner in 1982, he only recently returned with 2012's Prometheus; he begins shooting Prometheus 2 in January.) Not that's [sic] he's looking to go head-to-head with Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. "Star Wars is a juggernaut," he says. "Good, bad, or indifferent. And with that director [JJ Abrams], it ain't gonna be indifferent, it's gonna be really interesting."

Let's not jump the gun here and start proclaiming it's confirmed to start shooting. However, it does sound like they got a tip from someone somewhere indicating that it's happening. There is no direct quote and the statement in the parentheses doesn't include any other connection to Ridley Scott's quotes about sci-fi, but who knows. It sounds like they're definitely pushing forward on Prometheus 2 especially if Ridley himself is excited to keep making more sci-fi again. You never know with him, because he always jumps all over. He's been talking about The Forever War being his big sci-fi project for years, but that has never come to fruition yet. As of last year there was a report he may do the new Blade Runner sequel, but with Denis Villeneuve on that, perhaps Ridley is dedicating himself to Prometheus. Only time will tell. Stay tuned for more updates.