Ridley Scott doesn’t require advice on his films — and therefore is hesitant to dole it out for other directors. The “Alien” filmmaker told the Los Angeles Times that while producing “ Alien: Romulus ,” directed by Fede Álvarez, Scott made a point not to meddle in the “Don’t Breathe” director’s entry in the franchise. Which Scott, of course, started with 1979’s “Alien.
” “It is hard work with anybody and their mother giving you advice — the last thing you want at a certain point is advice,” Scott said. “I do not need advice. If I fall on my own sword and therefore lie bleeding, I say, ‘It was my fault.
'” Scott, who directed “Alien” follow-ups “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” said of Álvarez taking over the “Alien” franchise , “The danger of all franchises is they do die unless somebody suddenly decides to pick up the mat and run down the field with a ball. Fede is a surge of energy, and I had to step back and let him do it. Fede had a blueprint firm in his mind, and his script was pretty clear.
It was also long, but the screenplay is always long. And so we got into that a little bit.” The “Gladiator II” director even said he’d be up for Álvarez taking on another “Alien” movie after “Romulus,” out August 16 from 20th Century Studios.
The upcoming “Alien: Romulus” is set 20 years after the events of Scott’s original film . “I hope Fede’s got another one up his sleeve because I think this is going to do really well,” Scott said. “He’s got a streak of brilliance.
” Álvarez previously said that he showed early cuts of “Alien: Romulus” to both producer Scott and “Aliens” director James Cameron. As Álvarez told Variety , he wanted to recreate the “sheer horror of the first film ” that Scott directed. “We went to crazy extents to keep it pure to the filmmaking techniques of the first movie.
But if anybody’s worried, ‘Is it going to be too retro?’ Don’t worry, 202[4] will pour through every window,” Álvarez said. “There’s no way to stop the modernity of filmmaking. And from that combination of the best of the classics and the best of today, then you have something new.
” While at the 2023 DGA Latino Summit , Álvarez added that it was an “incredibly tense process” to show Scott “Alien: Romulus.” “I wanted him to see it before anybody,” Alvarez said. “And everyone gave me the head’s up that Ridley is really tough.
He’s really tough, particularly if it has something to do with his movies. He was really tough on ‘Blade Runner [2049],’ which I thought was a masterpiece, and he had issues with it because it’s really hard for him because it’s his work.” (For context, 1982 “Blade Runner” director Scott turned down the opportunity to helm “Blade Runner 2049,” which went to Denis Villeneuve.
Scott directed “Alien: Covenant” instead.) Álvarez continued, “Even if he was going to say, ‘You destroyed my legacy,’ I wanted to be in front of him and see him in the eye [when he watched ‘Alien: Romulus’]. I didn’t want to get an email where it says, ‘Ridley says.
..’ And then he walks into the room, and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s fucking great.
'”.
