A sequel to Alien: Covenant is already written

Director Ridley Scott recently confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that Alien: Covenant is the beginning of a new prequel series to Alien, and the next installment may start filming as soon as 2018.

“You’ve got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you’d better be ready. You don’t want a two-year gap. So I’ll be ready to go again next year…. If you really want a franchise, I can keep cranking it for another six. I’m not going to close it down again. No way.”

The article goes on to corroborate what many fans (myself included) expected. Prometheus is not a part of the new prequel series starting with Alien: Covenant.

“What we did really well on Prometheus, considering that it was a ground zero idea that was starting all over again, was I discovered that people do have an appetite for the alien and what he means and his evolution – the egg, the facehugger, the chestburster as we call them. People still want to see it. So I return to a little bit of that but not wholeheartedly; there’s a lot in here which is new as well… We go from Prometheus into both worlds of the original Alien and a little bit of Prometheus. Prometheus was about who and why? This is getting closer to who designed it and for what reason.”

This reaffirms my suggestion Alien: Covenant is a soft reboot of the franchise. And could also explain why Neill Blomkamp's sequel to James Cameron's Aliens, thereby retconning Alien 3 out of existence, is on hold indefinitely.

Star Trek: Discovery has found its captain

Jason Isaacs has appeared in Harry Potter and Star Wars Rebels. His next memorable genre role sees him playing Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery for CBS All Access.

The upcoming prequel series, which will be streamed by Netflix outside the US, should have premiered last January. However, the production has been beset by delays amidst fan fears the series would be mothballed despite the success of Star Trek on the big screen.

Bryan Fuller was initial showrunner on Discovery, establishing the story and mythology, before leaving the series due to other commitments.

“It’s important to get it right,” CBS chairman Les Moonves said. “Star Trek is the family jewels. We’re not going to rush it in. There’s a lot of post-production. But I’m very confident based on what I’ve seen so far.”

Despite the involvement of Alex Kurtzman. It's worth noting the new series is unrelated to the cinematic universe at Paramount Pictures.

A lapsed Star Trek fan. JJ Abrams' cinematic reboot rekindled my enthusiasm for the long-running franchise. Isaacs is an ideal candidate to fill the captain's chair and take his place alongside William Shatner, Sir Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula.

Star Trek: Discovery is scheduled to premiere later this year.

The original Cybermen return to Doctor Who

The Cybermen, created by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, have always been my favourite Doctor Who enemy. The cold cyborgs captured my nascent imagination in the pages of Marvel Comics' Doctor Who Weekly and the Target novelisation of The Tenth Planet. I'd pore over enigmatic black and white photos from The Moonbase to The Invasion, and spend hours drawing the mechanical menace.

The surprise return of the Cybermen in Earthshock, cemented their status forever, and was the stuff of playground legend. So, news of the impending return of the Mondasian originals, from 50 years ago, has piqued my interest. Despite fond childhood memories of reading The Tenth Planet; I've yet to watch the original serial on DVD! Another chink in my so-called Whovian armour.

The Mondasian menace will appear, alongside Missy (Michelle Gomez), in the two-part finale for season 10, which is currently being filmed in Cardiff with director Rachel Talalay at the helm. Talalay is no stranger to Doctor Who and it bodes well for an exciting end to the upcoming season.

Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat both exit the series this Christmas. And the appearance of the Mondasian Cybermen fulfils a personal wish Capaldi has had for sometime.

“I’d also like to see – this is really one for geeks – the return of the Mondasian Cybermen,” he said in 2014. “They came from the planet Mondas and first appeared in [1966 story] The Tenth Planet. They were absolutely terrifying, with cloth faces. That was really creepy.”

Doctor Who returns to television screens 15th April.

Star Wars Rebels renewed for fourth season

Star Wars Rebels will return to Disney XD later this year.

Marc Buhaj, senior vice president, programming and general manager, Disney XD said, “The team behind Star Wars Rebels delivers epic storytelling that has captivated fans of all ages across the globe. We’re excited to continue sharing the journey of these fan-favorite rebels with our audience in the fall.”

Set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Star Wars Rebels has continued to build on its Cartoon Network predecessor The Clone Wars: forming the connective tissue between the prequel and original trilogies. Last December I got goosebumps seeing the Ghost in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The crew of the Ghost have eluded the Grand Inquisitor, Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin and Grand Admiral Thrawn. But for how much longer?

Looking forward to Star Wars Rebels season four? Let me know in the comments below.

Epic Games rendered K-2SO in real-time for Rogue One

K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) stole the show in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Lucasfilm's John Knoll took to the stage, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), to demonstrate how the caustic droid was fully rendered in real-time.

The technique was developed by a team at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), modifying Unreal Engine 4’s source code from developer Epic Games. Epic's Tim Sweeney was ecstatic.

"So final pixels rendered in the Star Wars movie, using the Unreal Engine, in real-time. And it went into the movie! These are pixels you see in the movie! It's unbelievable," says Sweeney. "These real-world usage cases have pushed us much harder than before. Because as game developers, if we can't render a particular type of object well, we just put something else there instead, right. We can cheat. But these other industries cannot cheat. We have to solve all of the hard problems."

Rogue One was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Oscars, but lost out to stablemate, and worthy winner, The Jungle Book.

Xenomorphs attack in Alien: Covenant

Last week 20th Century Fox released an official prologue to director Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant - Last Supper - that riffed on an infamous, and iconic, scene from the original Alien starring the late John Hurt.

Now, a new trailer unleashes the full force of Hollywood's feared xenomorph.



Alien: Covenant is a sequel to Prometheus chronicling a crew in search of paradise. I'm hoping it'll do for the Alien franchise what Rogue One did for Star Wars. Spectacularly dovetailing into the much-loved original.

The film, which opens in theatres this May, stars Michael Fassbender (reprising his role as the robot David), Noomi Rapace (reprising her role as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw), Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Billy Crudup, Guy Pearce and James Franco.

Looking forward to seeing xenomorphs back on the big screen? Let me know in the comments below.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War released this August

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which was lauded for its award-winning Nemesis System in 2014, is getting a richly deserved open world sequel for PS4, Xbox One (including Scorpio) and PC this August.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

The next installment, leaked by Target, is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the player is tasked with forging a new ring of power to rival Sauron's.

“Monolith Productions continues to innovate by introducing deeper, more personalised gameplay experiences, coupled with authentic storytelling,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Middle-earth: Shadow of War truly drives the genre forward by taking the Nemesis System to new heights and allowing players to create their own personal journey within Middle-earth.”

As a fan of the original game and, more importantly, J.R.R. Tolkien's books, this'll be a day-one purchase.

“Following the amazing reception to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, we massively expanded every dimension of the game, including the world, the story, the RPG systems, the core gameplay and of course the personal player stories of the Nemesis System,” said Michael de Plater, Vice President, Creative, Monolith Productions. “As lifelong fans of Middle-earth, we are so grateful to have the privilege to bring to life the most incredible fantasy world ever created in a new way, for a new generation. With Middle-earth: Shadow of War, we can’t wait to see the amazing stories players are going to create and share.”

You can pre-order Middle-earth: Shadow of War from Amazon.

Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer stars in Mass Effect

Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer makes an interstellar jump from Westeros to Andromeda in the next installment in the Mass Effect franchise released this March.

Dormer plays Dr Lexi T'Perro, a 600-year-old Asari, in BioWare's critically-acclaimed space opera and sheds light on her character in a new behind-the-scenes video posted by EA.



Lexi appears to have a pivotal role, much like Dr Liara T'Soni in the original Mass Effect trilogy.

Mac Walters, Bioware's Creative Director, says: "Having Lexi almost 'wake you up' from your 600-year sleep and being that first friendly face that you meet, there's a sense that when you arrive in Andromeda it's almost like being reborn into that galaxy, waking up and imprinting on the first person you see.

"It was very important that we treat that character in a way that you would find some interest in them but also some compassion."

The franchise is synonymous with rich storytelling and Mass Effect: Andromeda is no exception. Walters continues: "One of the things we've tried to push on Andromeda [is to] create characters who feel like their lives are going on even when the player wasn't around, and so you'll notice that with Lexi she's sort of got a rivalry with one of the other characters, PeeBee. But if you look closely too, she's also maybe got a little bit of a crush on our Krogan, and this carries on even when you're not there."



Natalie Dormer is no stranger to video games, having reprised her iconic role of Margaery Tyrell for Telltale Games' Game of Thrones, and admits to not being an avid gamer, herself, due to time constraints. "I’m not a gamer per se … I don’t have a life where I can spend hours gaming,” says the actress. A candid admission, but she adds: “I know if I did, this is exactly the kind of thing that I would play.”

Mass Effect: Andromeda is already being likened to Mass Effect 2, considered by many fans (myself included) as the best installment. This bodes extremely well and suggests March may witness 3 AAA titles worthy of game of the year, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and, PS4 exclusive, Horizon Zero Dawn, which witnesses Guerrilla Games', a Sony first-party studio, metamorphosis into Bethesda and BioWare.

Now, excuse me as I finish an original trilogy playthrough, that began on 7th November, with FemShep.

Looking forward to Mass Effect: Andromeda and channelling Captain Kirk by romancing the crew? Let me know in the comments below.

Rogue One is coming home this March

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is coming home only months after its cinematic release.

The first Star Wars spin-off, directed by Gareth Edwards, will be released digitally in the US on 24th March. However, UK fans will have to wait until 10th April to see Jyn Erso and her rebel band steal the Death Star plans.

Alas, deleted scenes are not included in this inaugural home release, and the summer reshoots may not be addressed. But, that won't dissuade fans (myself included) from buying the Blu-ray release and there's Easter Eggs galore:

A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept – and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.
Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen.
Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance and passion.
K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.
Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary… and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.
Visions of Hope: The Look of “Rogue One” – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of Star Wars: A New Hope – as well as one of her most memorable foes­ – back to the screen.
Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars stories yet to be told.
Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connect Rogue One to the Star Wars universe.

I stand by my assertion Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy. Seriously, I can't wait to watch Rogue One and A New Hope back-to-back this spring.

Looking forward. Star Wars Celebration Orlando is the most likely venue for a teaser trailer for director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi.

Rogue One is available for pre-order from Amazon.

Han Solo Star Wars spin-off blasts into hyperspace

The next Star Wars spin-off movie has begun filming in London. And the cast and crew boarded the Millennium Falcon for a first look.

The on-set photo confirms the casting of Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag). She joins Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Thandie Newton.

“Watching such inspired people from all over the world, with such unique voices, come together for the sole purpose of making art, is nothing short of miraculous,” Lord and Miller said. “We can’t think of anything funny to say, because we just feel really moved, and really lucky.”

The untitled Han Solo movie is scheduled for release 25th May 2018. This contradicts an earlier report suggesting Disney will continue to release Star Wars movies during the holiday season.