While a lot of movies try to hide from fans during production,Alien: Covenantis not one of them. We’ve already seen plenty from the set as shooting continues in Australia. This includes massive set photos that show off new aliens, a first look atMichael Fassbender’s return as David, and the introduction of Katherine Waterston as Daniels. Today, we get our first look at one cast member that came as a surprise to everyone. Yes, that is comedic actorDanny McBridetaking on a more serious role as one of the Covenant crew.
This latest image shows McBride aboard the Covenant. He is seen going over some important dialogue with director Ridley Scott. The actor’s character has yet to be revealed. But we do know that he is part of the crew piloting the colony ship Covenant to uncharted areas of the universe. This photo is simply titled ‘Mission Debriefing’, and comes courtesy ofTwitter.
Director Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created inAlienwithAlien: Covenant, the second chapter in a prequel trilogy that began withPrometheus. This movie will connect directly to Scott’s 1979 seminal work of science fiction. Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world, whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.
While it may seem unusual to see Danny McBride in this type of role, apparently Ridley Scott is a big fan of his comedy. Though we’re not sure how funny his unnamed character is allowed to be. Just a few weeks ago, it was all but confirmed that Katherine Waterston’s Daniels is actually EllenRipley’s mom. And because of his similar hair style, some suspect that we may be looking at Ripley’s dad in this photo, which would be pretty cool. But at the same time, might rankle certain fans.
It was originally stated thatPrometheusstarNoomi Rapaceonly has a small cameo inAlien: Covenant. Then, as production began, Ridley Scott claimed that the actress wasn’t in the movie at all. Last night, it was confirmed thatRapacewill actually return asElizabeth Shaw. She is expected to have just a small role in this sci-fi thriller, though there is some confusion over whether or not she will be shooting for a week or a couple of weeks. She arrived on the Australian set this past week.
The early plot synopsis revealed that David was the “only survivor” when the Covenant crew finds this remote planet. We know that the story is set adecade afterthe events ofPrometheus, so it’s possible thatNoomi Rapacewill be filming flashbacks, set during this decade gap betweenPrometheusandAlien: Covenant, but that’s only speculation at this point.
While 20th Century Fox callsAlien: Covenantthe middle chapter in a trilogy,Scotthimself has stated that this is a new prequel that sets up its own trilogy bridging the gap in the events betweenPrometheusand theAlien. Back in December, it was confirmed that iconic Alien creatures such as the Facehugger, Chestburster andXenomorphwill all be appearing in the sequel. They will arrive with a few new, never-before-seen monsters. The rest of the cast is rounded out byDemian Bichir,Jussie Smollett,Amy Seimetz,Carmen EjogoandCallie Hernandez.Ridley Scottis directing from a script byJack Paglen,Michael GreenandJohn Logan. Take a look at this latest sneak peek. IsDanny McBridea good fit for this franchise? Wed like to think so.
