MOVIE NEWS – Michael Fassbender, best known for his roles in Inglourious Basterds, X-Men: First Class, and The Killer, has expressed his willingness to return to the Alien franchise—though it may depend on one crucial factor. The actor brought to life the android David in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, two polarizing prequels in the iconic sci-fi saga created by Ridley Scott. However, Fassbender has now hinted that his love for the series is tied directly to Scott himself. While Scott remains involved as a producer on Alien: Romulus and the upcoming Alien: Earth TV series, it’s uncertain whether Fassbender would consider reprising his role without Scott in the director’s chair.

In a recent interview with Esquire, Fassbender discussed his latest television project, The Agency. Based on the acclaimed French spy thriller The Bureau, the Showtime series follows Brandon Colby—codenamed “Martian”—as an undercover international operative. The show premiered last November, wrapping up its first season just a few days ago. While reviews have been mixed, it currently holds a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. During the conversation, Fassbender was asked about the possibility of returning to Alien, to which he responded:

“Absolutely. I love working with Ridley. It was such an incredible experience. He’s phenomenal—an inspiration. These massive films are extremely challenging to make, but he’s a master. Just fantastic.”

Prometheus and Alien: Covenant were Scott-directed prequels that attempted to explore the origins of the xenomorph species. Released years after Alien: Resurrection—and following the much-maligned Alien vs. Predator films—Prometheus was initially positioned as a separate sci-fi story but was quickly recognized as an Alien prequel upon release. By the time Alien: Covenant arrived, Scott was fully committed to connecting the prequels to his 1979 original. However, the divisive direction of these films led to Covenant underperforming, causing plans for a third installment to be shelved indefinitely.

Does the Alien Franchise Have a Future?

Following Covenant‘s commercial struggles, even Ridley Scott himself admitted that the franchise appeared to be dead. Then came Disney and Alien: Romulus. The 20th Century Studios release became a major hit, and if a sequel gets greenlit, it’s expected that director Fede Álvarez will return to helm it. Meanwhile, the upcoming Hulu series Alien: Earth, created by Noah Hawley, represents another significant milestone for the franchise, signaling confidence in the xenomorphs’ ability to thrive on streaming platforms. Though Scott may no longer be directing Alien films, his influence as a producer continues to shape every new entry in the series.

If Fassbender were to return, it would require careful timeline integration, considering the established continuity stretching from Prometheus to Alien: Resurrection. However, given that David is an android, his reappearance could be easily justified—perhaps in the same way that Ian Holm’s likeness was used for the synthetic Rook in Alien: Romulus. This would allow Fassbender to play a different android model with David’s face, opening the door for his return in a fresh capacity.

Source: MovieWeb