Photo by Killian Young

From the very beginning of Kanye West’s Saint Pablo Tour kick-off in Indianapolis last night, it was apparent that this was no ordinary concert: Kanye performed the entire show from a stage propelled above the audience.

In a post-show interview with E! News, Kanye discussed the inspiration for his stage design. He said it took eight months of planning, “traveling around the world meeting with the best stage designers.”

“I wanted people to get into it and have a fun time, make it not be just about watching the artist, but people watching their friends and singing along to the lyrics and being able to see themselves, their outfits,” he explained, adding that he wanted to “… take the concert experience to another level, it’s not just about what you’re seeing on the screen, or what you’re seeing me do on the stage, but what you and your friends are doing.”

Kanye said he looked to many other artists for inspiration, name-checking the likes of Bono, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, Radiohead, Trent Reznor, and movie director Ridley Scott.

“I can stretch my hands, like the song says, I can stretch out in this arena, and give the crowd something they haven’t seen before,” he added.

Read Killian Young’s full report from last night’s concert, including his 10 favorite moments.

Exactly one year out from its release, the title for director Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Blade Runner sequel has been revealed. Set thirty years after the original, the new film will be logically called Blade Runner 2049.

Blade Runner 2049 will see the return of Harrison Ford as lead character Rick Deckard. Newcomers include Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Robin Wright, and Dave Bautista. Villeneuve will direct from a script by Hampton Fancher (who wrote the original) and Michael Green (Logan, Alien: Covenant). The original’s director, Ridley Scott, will take on a producers role.

In addition to announcing the title, Alcon Entertainment has released a photo of (left to right) Villeneuve, Scott, Ford, and Gosling on set. There appear to be some futuristic weapons on the table in front of them, so have a look up above.

Blade Runner 2049 is expected to hit theaters on October 6th, 2017.

Good news, everyone: Our current Commander-In-Chief is a righteous nerd. Bad news: He could be replaced by this fucking spazoid. For now, though, let’s focus on the present because, as President Barack Obama recently proclaimed in an op-ed for Wired, the present is not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

For their November issue, the publication tapped Obama as a guest-editor, and in addition to the aforementioned editorial, he’s also shared his list of must-see sci-fi films and television shows. Considering he also penned an essay this week for CNN about reaching Mars, we’re not surprised to see The Martian on his list.

Anyways, take a look below and continue to relish the last days of The Greatest.

01. 2001: A Space Odyssey because “it captures the grandeur and scale of the unknown.”

02. Blade Runner because “it asks what it means to be human.”

03. Close Encounters of the Third Kind because “it is fundamentally optimistic.”

04. Star Wars because “it was fun and revolutionized special effects.”

05. The original Star Trek series because “it uses science fiction to promote a humanist ethic.”

06. The Martian because “it shows humans at problem solvers.”

07. The Matrix because “it asks basic questions about our reality—and looks very cool.”

08. Cosmos because “it fed my lifelong fascination with space.”

Feature Artwork by Cap Blackard

Fear is constant, fear is restless, and fear is always changing. Reason being, the human mind is susceptible to so many external conditions, all of which elicit a wide range of emotions, conditions … or phobias. Much of this has to do with our own life experiences, those nagging, unforgiving memories that are so traumatizing they’ve become a seed in our minds, one that has blossomed into a paralyzing fear we can’t shake off.

This is why horror films — or rather, most films in general — can often be so polarizing with audiences. What works for one person might not necessarily affect another and vice versa. Then again, some phobias are nearly universal: Heights, spiders, clowns, creepy dolls, and small spaces aren’t traditionally welcomed with open arms, which is why Hollywood tends to capitalize on those fears again and again.

But what about the unlucky bunch who can’t bear to dance, refuse to look in mirrors, or run away from shadows? What about those tortured souls who might faint at the sight of a bath? Or even their own hair? It’s a strange world, alright, made all the stranger by what gives us the willies. In light of such madness, we put together a cinematic glossary of phobias with the hope that the power of film might conquer everything.

Of course, you might also be afraid of film.

–Michael Roffman
Editor-in-Chief

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“I had your job once. I was good at it.”

“Well, times were simpler then.”

There’s been talk of a Blade Runner sequel for years, even as many have been reluctant to accept any kind of follow-up to Ridley Scott’s iconic 1982 science fiction masterwork. For years, instead of a sequel, it was just the continuous tinkering with and re-releasing of Scott’s film, whether as an unauthorized work print, a “Director’s Cut” that Scott advised on from a distance, and The Final Cut, a 2007 version that stands as the alleged definitive edit. (Since the latter two are the versions which excise the studio-mandated narration and “happy” ending that seemingly nobody involved with the film actually wanted, we’ll consider them the realer deal.)

But now the talk is over, because 2049 will see Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario) take over for Scott (who remains attached as an executive producer), and return to the film’s unsettling future, where replicants (humanoid robots) walk the Earth, built largely as slaves but capable of experiencing humanity. Though the film’s first teaser keeps things vague, it chiefly serves as an introduction to Ryan Gosling’s Officer K, who’s tasked with hunting down Harrison Ford’s Deckard, who’s been missing since after the events of the first film. Also, y’know, Deckard has aged up, so maybe that’ll bring all this “is he a replicant” business to rest. (Who’re we kidding. No it won’t.)

The film’s official synopsis describes it as follows: “Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.”

Blade Runner 2049 will hit theaters on October 6^{th, 2017 and Harrison Ford will probably never stop being pulled back in for “one last job” in movie franchises centered around him.}

After catching a glimpse of the movie’s freaky, Pompeii-like setting and discovering Prometheus’ Noomi Rapace will be reprising her role as Elizabeth Shaw, we’re now being treated to a few new revelations regarding Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant.

Today, Entertainment Weekly released new still photos from the film, including one of actress Katherine Waterston, who’s looking decidedly Ripley-esque.

“He’s a master!” Waterston said of Scott in an interview with EW.com. “He’s got the energy of 10 25-year-olds.” She also called him “sadistic,” which should bode well for those hoping that, unlike Prometheus, Alien: Covenant will bring the scares.

Scott himself also piped up, saying that this story of a colony ship who stumble upon an idyllic, yet dangerous, planet will clear up some of Prometheus’ more confusing plot points, many of which turned off a fair share of its audience. “Covenant is really going to show who did it and why,” he explained. Well, thank goodness.

Meanwhile, Variety is reporting that James Franco will have a role in Covenant. Along with Waterston, he’ll appear alongside returning Prometheans Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Guy Pearce, as well as Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demian Bichir.

No word yet on if Franco will reprising his Spring Breakers role, who was conveniently named Alien.

See more photos from the film below:

In space, no one can hear you scream, but at home, everyone can. So, pipe down some as you watch the new trailer for Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant. As one might have expected, it’s filled with the type of extraterrestrial malaise that the director trademarked, oh, nearly 40 years ago. It’s exactly what everyone needs during a holiday season chock full of gooey eggnog and familial disdain.

The sequel to 2012’s confusing mess of an Alien prequel Prometheus, Covenant follows the titular colony ship as it lands on a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy. The place looks like an uncharted paradise to everyone, but naturally, there are some nasty surprises in store, from icky little critters to one familiar face in the form of Michael Fassbender’s “synthetic” meanie David.

For this go-around, Scott’s assembled a firecracker cast of newcomers like Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, and James Franco alongside returning stars in Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce. Let’s not forget that Pearce played the now-deceased billionaire CEO Peter Weyland. So, his inclusion should be interesting.

Watch the trailer above and mark it: Alien: Covenant lands May 19, 2017.

With the coming of a new year, it almost feels as though the moviegoing cycle gets a chance to reset. Yet, where the early months of the year have typically been a space for refuse, 2017 is filling every corner of the release calendar with interesting, big-ticket projects. And after a year marked by cynicism and skepticism and way, way too much debate about the remake of a movie about comedians battling ghosts, we’re looking forward to moving on and starting fresh and getting excited about the movies yet to come.

And on paper, 2017 is going to be quite a thing. We’ll get DC’s best attempt at The Avengers, an actual Blade Runner sequel, and the return of everyone’s favorite Guardians. We’ll get new films from Darren Aronofsky, Kathryn Bigelow, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Sure, things will continue on as they have; the year’s full of franchises and sequels again, and America will buy Michael Bay more houses and cars with a new Transformers. But it’s looking like 2017 will have a lot to offer for any kind of moviegoer, from the casual admirers to the thrillseekers to the snobs. That’s worth getting excited about.

Plus, come on. How bad can a year featuring xXx: the Return of Xander Cage really be? Dude’s riding a dirtbike through the ocean. If that’s not a great omen for 2017, we don’t know what is.
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Split

Release Date: January 20th via Universal

Ever since M. Night Shyamalan decided to scale back on his storytelling, he’s been in better company. His 2015 feature film, The Visit, wasn’t without its share of faults — the found-footage angle was unnecessary and hampered his strengths, which has always been his shot selection behind the camera — but it was thrilling, cohesive, and digestible enough that it didn’t seem too silly or outlandish. Now, he’s back with another tiny thriller called Split. James McAvoy stars as a man with 23 different personalities who abducts three teenage girls, one of them being The Witch‘s breakout rookie Anya Taylor-Joy. Our own critic Marten Carlson caught the film during a surprise screening at last year’s Fantastic Fest, praising McAvoy for his range and ultimately dubbing the film “one further step for Shyamalan on the road to cinematic redemption.” We believe it. –Michael Roffman

Trailer:

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XX

Premieres at Sundance Film Festival 2017 via Magnet

Horror films scare much more when they play back to back, and that’s exactly what XX plans to do. It’s a powerhouse of a release that sees four tales strung together, each tackled by a different woman. Karyn Kusama directs Her Only Living Son, which we can only imagine will be as memorable as The Invitation, her most recent movie and one of the best films of 2016. Zombie-loving and creepy creature-creating Jovanka Vuckovic will direct The Box. Annie Clark, the total powerhouse otherwise known as St. Vincent, makes her directorial debut with The Birthday Party, a title that already sounds as haunting and distorted as “The Strangers”. Lastly, there’s Don’t Fall, a film by Roxanne Benjamin, the producer behind the original V/H/S, meaning she’s a pro in short-form horror filmmaking already. In short: This anthology is already priming our goosebumps. –Nina Corcoran
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Landline

Premieres at Sundance Film Festival 2017

Distributor: TBA

Three years after Obvious Child was sent to Sundance on the strength of a Kickstarter campaign and ended up as one of the festival’s breakout hits of this year, writer/director Gillian Robespierre will return with Landline. The story of a teenager in 1995 Manhattan who discovers that her father is having an affair, the film looks to continue Robespierre’s emergence as a keenly observant filmmaker of notice. Landline will re-team her with Child‘s Jenny Slate, in addition to Edie Falco, John Turturro, and Finn Wittrock. Keep an eye on this one, because there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be hearing a lot about it soon enough. —Dominick Suzanne-Mayer
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John Wick Chapter 2

Release Date: February 10th via Summit

John Wick arrived out of nowhere in 2014, and returned Keanu Reeves to prominence as the titular ex-assassin, who drops the “ex-” when a kingpin breaks into his house and ends up killing his dog. It’s a remarkably well-made action thriller, particularly given its goofy-on-paper premise, and it also took the time to do the kind of world-building that doesn’t figure prominently into enough action series in this day and age. That world, of secret assassin hotels and clubs and currencies and rules, will form the spine of Chapter 2, in which Wick finds himself the target of a worldwide contract that brings out the best of the criminal underworld to try and take him down for good. But they’re up against a lot, because shit, he’s John Wick. —Dominick Suzanne-Mayer

Trailer:

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The LEGO Batman Movie

Release Date: February 10th via Warner Bros.

As DC Comic’s expanded universe continues to fall into darkness, there’s one superhero who may save them before it’s too late: LEGO Batman. On February 10th, The LEGO Batman Movie will hit theaters and save the box office, if not America, as we know it. Will Arnett once again voices the titular hero who is loved by the public but whose only family is Alfred the butler (Ralph Fiennes) and adopted orphan Robin (Michael Cera). This time around, The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) rallies up a group of Batman’s biggest enemies to threaten the city of Gotham and its police department, led by police commissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), who wants to aid Batman. If the film’s anything like its trailer or like the crowd-pleasing film before it, The LEGO Movie, then we’re due for a film that balances action, comedy, and pure fun with the ease of a director who has it all figured out. After all, the trailer jabs at Robin the way viewers — namely the fans who voted he should be killed off — inevitably will, it mocks The Joker’s lovesick phase, and it reminds us that children’s toys elevate satire to a whole new level, one building block at a time. –Nina Corcoran

Trailer:

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Get Out

Release Date: February 24th via Universal

While promoting his very funny cat movie Keanu earlier this year, Jordan Peele (of Key & Peele fame) mentioned in some interviews that he wanted his next project to be a horror movie. Few people took him very seriously at the time — he’s a comedian, after all — but lo and behold, in October we got the trailer for Get Out, Peele’s gleefully demented, racially charged take on Meet the Parents. The Jason Blum production seems to revel in uncomfortable truths, following what happens when Rose (Allison Williams) invites her boyfriend Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) to return to her white-bread hometown to meet her parents, who may or may not be racist demons. It’s an insane, exciting premise that’s bound to ruffle some feathers in the early days of Trump’s America, and we can’t wait to see how it all shakes out. –Collin Brennan

Trailer:

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Logan

Release Date: March 3rd via 20th Century Fox

After the disappointing experience that was X-Men: Apocalypse, the jury was pretty mixed on another go-around with Wolverine. Then came the trailer for Logan, complete with Johnny Cash’s somber cover of “Hurt” and all the tear-jerking speeches that could win over any cynic’s soul. Sure, we’ve been burned over the years by epic previews, but there’s no denying that director and screenwriter James Mangold has found a fresh spin on an old story. Based on Mark Millar and Steve McKiven’s outstanding eight-part series Old Man Logan, the film looks to pare down the worldwide scope of the last two X-Men films into a simpler and more palpable experience. If that weren’t enough, the film also marks Hugh Jackman’s last outing as the titular immortal bastard, which should only add to the drama and make for a poignant finale to arguably the most chiseled character in the on-screen X-Men universe. What do you say to that, bub? –Michael Roffman

Trailer:

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T2: Trainspotting

Release Date: March 3rd via TriStar

A little over 20 years ago, now, Renton and Sick Boy and Begbie and Spud became icons of a certain era of alternative culture when Trainspotting turned Irvine Welsh’s tale of Scottish heroin addicts into one of the great, kinetic films of the 1990s. It also made a name for all of its stars and for Danny Boyle as a filmmaker of great talent, which might be why all of the film’s principal names have returned for T2: Trainspotting, which we’re so happy to see that we’ll stop wishing that it wasn’t named as such. Word has varied on how much the film will resemble Porno, Welsh’s literary sequel, but it’ll follow Renton (Ewan McGregor) as he returns home to reconnect with the friends he left behind so many years ago. After stealing all of their money. That second one will probably cause some trouble. —Dominick Suzanne-Mayer

Trailer:

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Kong: Skull Island

Release Date: March 10th via Warner Bros.

Cinematic universes are all the rage, so of course the upcoming Kong: Skull Island is part of a bigger picture. 2014’s Godzilla reboot was the first in the series and we know they are building to an over-the-top, city-destroying battle royale between the two. For Kong’s part, he gets a stellar cast of humans (Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly) and creatures (giant spiders, giant lizards, a giant yak), all just opening acts for the film’s true star: the chest-pounding gorilla that’s been enthralling audiences since the Great Depression. With every reboot, there’s the sense that we’ve never seen Kong like this, with another generation of special effects anchoring the production. But if Godzilla is any indicator, this film series isn’t skimping on story or characters, hopefully giving fans of Kong something to cheer for. –Philip Cosores

Trailer:

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Beauty and the Beast

Release Date: March 17th via Disney

When you can’t make a new Disney princess, revive an old one in true 3D: live action. Beauty and the Beast invites you to be their guest once again, this time with Belle (Emma Watson), Beast (Dan Stevens), Gaston (Luke Evans), and the rest of the French folk taking literal human form. If your heart feels weary about a remake, watch the trailer and let the magic whisk you away. Ewan McGregor as Lumière? Ian McKellen as Cogsworth? Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts? Yes, we would like to play dress-up and slip into the village during Belle’s theme song. It seems we’re not the only ones. Disney’s trailer set a new record with 127.6 million views in its first 24 hours — beating out previous record-holders Fifty Shades Darker (114 million views) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (112 million views). –Nina Corcoran

Trailer:

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On Sunday night’s Golden Globes ceremony, the unthinkable happened. HBO, long the leader of the charge in the Golden Age of television, was shut out at the awards show, a first for the network in 26 years. Maybe it’s been a long time coming, what with streaming services and basic cable networks slowly catching up in terms of the quality of programming they can offer. Some of the last decade’s most acclaimed offerings, including Mad Men and Breaking Bad, didn’t require a premium subscription. They took HBO’s model and ran with it.

And if you’re going to breakdown what specific networks are helping buck the HBO mystique, FX is high on the list. A channel that just 20 years ago was a hub for Fox reruns like Married… with Children and The X-Files has become an original programming juggernaut. It was FX’s Atlanta that won Best Comedy Series on Sunday night, its The People vs OJ Simpson that took Best Miniseries, all while the likes of The Americans, Louie, Fargo, and You’re the Worst captivate critics and audiences alike. A move like ordering Taboo, a period drama that’s violent and stark and uncompromising, is the logical next step.

After all, the pedigree for Taboo is there. Yes, there is Ridley Scott’s name in an Executive Producer role, but at the core of the show is a team that is intimately acquainted: Steven Knight, Edward “Chips” Hardy, and, most famously, Tom Hardy. Knight and Tom Hardy have previously worked together on Peaky Blinders and the 2013 film Locke, both of which saw Knight leading through story and direction while Hardy worked in front of the camera. This time it’s more collaborative, with Hardy working alongside his father to craft the story of a British man returning home after being presumed dead to reclaim his rightful estate in the wake of his father’s untimely death.

Even though Tom Hardy’s history in television is extensive, dating back to HBO’s Band of Brothers and continuing with Peaky Blinders as his esteem as a movie star grew, it feels like a significant get to have him starring in an FX series. The last several years have found him bouncing from Bane to Mad Max to thankfully skipping out on Suicide Squad to netting an Oscar nomination for antagonizing Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant. The fact that he’s so far beyond TV adds a certain mystique to the project — a bold example of prestige casting as FX tries to barrel further down the rabbit hole of prestige television.

A dive into the first three episodes of Taboo, though, doesn’t feel prestigious. We find Hardy playing James Delaney, the type of guy that will steal the shillings right off his dead father’s eyelids. The type of guy that misses no opportunity to remind anyone he encounters that he’s tortured, dangerous, and mentally unstable. The type of guy that used to bone his sister (Oona Chaplin, performing in one-gear of utter fright) and won’t be content until he bones her again. It’s not exactly a far cry from his other brooding, menacing roles. And if this is a role Hardy felt he needed to shift to TV to play, his reasoning has yet to materialize.

Instead, we see Delaney enter into political intrigue. It’s 1814 and he’s inherited a portion of land off Vancouver Island that both the British and the Americans want for their own, enough so that the British are willing to kill Delaney for it. Delaney’s life is complicated even further when his father’s widow actress (Jessie Buckley) appears, claiming a portion of the inheritance for herself. For all his wild-eyed conniving to see America and Britain compete for the important shipping property — not to mention his even wilder maternally inherited Native American shamanism that gives the show a half-baked fantasy element — Delaney appears to be fully in control of the situation, moving the chess pieces for an endgame that isn’t quite clear. Indeed, the big reveal that will eventually come is when we find out exactly what Delaney wants. Is it revenge for his father? Is it all the tea in China? Is it simply a hatred for the crown after seeing untold atrocities in Africa? Possibly all of the above?

Maybe Taboo’s biggest whiff, though, is in the creation of its world. It’s certainly detailed, a distant London where the dogs are thin and the inhabitants are likely to have blood smeared on their face regardless of their profession. Sure, the gritty, yellow teeth and leathery skin all feels authentic, but this world isn’t a place many viewers will likely want to spend time in — at least not for over an hour every week. It’s a poor measurement as to what successful TV entails, the opportunity to bring viewers into unknown places and provide something that either reflects their reality or unveils something their reality lacks. After three hours in Taboo, it’s hard to imagine wanting to go back to the dreary, muddy, frosty experience.

There are a few glimmers of promise, though. When the series shifts its attention to Jonathan Pryce’s Sir Stuart Strange, looking 20 years older than he did as the High Sparrow on Game of Thrones, the story is at its most propulsive. Pryce and his cohorts of British dignitaries are portrayed with just the right amount of vileness (one sniffs drugs openly, another looks like a personification of gout) that they pose formidable adversaries for our anti-hero. On the other side of the spectrum is Michael Kelly’s Dumbarton, an American that oozes with the same menace as Kelly brings to his House of Cards character, Doug Stamper. Rounding out our potential villains is maybe the most loathsome of all, Jefferson Hall’s Thorne Geary, the husband of Delaney’s sister who is repugnant enough that it’s reasonable to think she might be better off coupling with her brother.

As Taboo goes forward, Delaney’s mystical powers will inevitably play a more central role, but as of now, the promise that the show has some payoffs hidden up its sleeve isn’t enough to slog through the dampness with these characters. Both the second and third episodes conclude with moments of violent danger for its central characters, but there isn’t enough reason to really care what happens. If Hardy thought that drawing out a series might allow for a more fleshed-out role than he can achieve in film, the opposite is happening. Hours and hours of this is asking too much of the audience, ignoring that peak television also means peak competition for the viewers’ time. With so many great options on the small screen, Taboo‘s attempt to be prestigious comes across as rather too tedious.

FX’s Taboo airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST.

We’ve already seen a fair amount from Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant. There’s been a number of set-photos and stills, as well as a frightening red band trailer. However, today we’ve been gifted our first look at the entire crew of the titular ship all together thanks to the above image.

Scott assembled a star-studded cast for his latest entry in the Alien franchise. The film features returning stars Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce alongside newcomers Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, and James Franco.

In addition to revealing the image, the official Twitter account for the movie announced that a special sneak peek will air on FX during tomorrow’s episode of Legion. You should probably be watching the excellent X-Men series already, but now you have another reason to tune in.

A sequel to 2012’s Prometheus, the hotly anticipated film follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they explore an uncharted planet on the far side of the galaxy. What looks to be a possible paradise hides horrifying surprises, however, from Fassbender’s “synthetic” villain David to jumpy little facehuggers.

Alien: Covenant lands in theaters on May 19th. Revisit the first trailer below.

Yesterday, 20th Century Fox released a cast photo from Alien: Covenant in anticipation of a special sneak peek airing during tonight’s episode of Legion. The clip has now arrived online, and it’s far more extensive than anyone would have predicted.

The five-minute scene, entitled “Prologue: Last Supper”, finds the crew of the colony ship Covenant enjoying one last hurrah before entering cryosleep. The preview introduces Michael Fassbender’s android Walter, Danny McBride’s Tennessee, James Franco’s Captain Branson, and Katherine Waterston’s Daniels. Though their names aren’t revealed, the clip also features Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, and the other crewmates. The returning Noomi Rapace (Elizabeth Shaw) and Guy Pearce (Peter Weyland) are no where to be seen, however. Watch it above.

Ridley Scott returns to the director’s chair for this latest Alien sequel/prequel, which follows the first large-scale colonization mission of mankind. Of course, the distant planet they’re heading towards hides some nasty surprises. Find the official synopsis below.

“The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.”

Alien: Covenant hits theaters on May 19th. Watch the film’s latest trailer below.

20th Century Fox is doing some strange marketing behind Alien: Covenant. Previously, they’ve dropped both an extensive trailer and a five-minute prologue, and now they’ve gone ahead and released an even more elaborate trailer that reveals not only a few explosive action sequences, but the actual Xenomorphs, as well. Whoever said mystery was currency in this business? Ha.

It’s a shame, too, because it mostly insinuates that the studio isn’t very confident enough in their product. What’s more, it also speaks volumes about where they see the Alien brand, and that slapping the name and showing the titular creature’s teeth, as they do on the film’s poster, isn’t enough to drum up the seismic hype that they’re hoping to have going into this thing when it finally hits theaters on May 19th.

Nevertheless, watch above at your risk. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dante Harper and John Logan, Alien: Covenant stars Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Danny McBride, James Franco, Demián Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.”

Update: Watch the red band version of the trailer below.

We’re just over two months away from learning whether Alien: Covenant will be a triumphant return to form for the long-running space terror franchise, or another crowd-dividing puzzle in the vein of Prometheus. But though he’s only directed the first and most recent installments, Ridley Scott is the name that comes to mind when somebody thinks Alien (okay, maybe H.R. Giger as well). And if a recent interview is any indication, the 79-year-old filmmaker intends to keep his return to the world of Xenomorphs going for the foreseeable future.

In a new interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the cast and director of Covenant touched on a wide range of topics about the film. Included were a number of interesting notes about Covenant and its place in what Scott envisions as a longer-running saga. The article mentions that he “…sees it [Covenant] as one of three sequels to Prometheus that will take the saga to ‘the back entrance’ of the original Alien.”

That notion of multiple sequels comes up again later in the interview, when Scott offhandedly mentions that “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.” Whether that’s a good or bad thing probably depends a lot on your opinions of Prometheus, but it’s clear that Scott has been reinvigorated by the chance to return to the Alien universe. Additionally, it’s said that “While working on Alien: Covenant, he had the next installment written so he is ready to keep advancing the saga,” and Scott himself insists that “I’ll be ready to go again next year.” Truly, the modern franchise’s gears never stop turning.

The next step in the ongoing story will arrive with Covenant on May 19th, and if Scott is to be believed, every two years thereafter until either the franchise or filmmaker loses momentum. Here’s hoping that the version of Scott the series gets from here is a lot more The Martian and a lot less Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Revisit the latest trailer for Alien: Covenant below.

Despite how much of the story the recent Alien: Covenant trailer gave away, the film does still hold a few mysteries. One of the most persisting pieces of speculation has been that Katherine Waterston’s character, Daniels, is somehow related to Sigourney Weaver’s iconic Ripley from the original Alien movies. Well, ponder no longer, as director Ridley Scott has now put that theory to bed.

Speaking during a roundtable discussion about the upcoming sci-fi film at South by Southwest, Scott was asked directly about Daniels’ lineage. As MovieWeb notes, the director gave a pretty firm answer: “No. That was probably way back when. ‘Should she be the daughter of Ripley?’ I said ‘no.’ She’s herself.”

So while it looks like there was some discussion about linking Daniels to Ripley, they don’t share a bloodline in the final product. However, overly speculative fans might find a hole in Scott’s answer; he specifically says he considered making Daniels Ripley’s daughter, which is a fascinating choice of words considering that, as far as we know, Alien: Covenant takes place many years before Alien, the first movie to star Weaver’s character. If that timeline is correct, it would actually make more sense if Daniels was Ripley’s mother — and that’s not what Scott said.

Still, he seems resolute in his decision that Waterston’s character is “herself,” so I wouldn’t get to in your head about it. Besides, all questions will be put to rest when Alien: Covenant enters theaters on May 19th.

In addition to Waterston, the film also stars Michael Fassbender, Danny McBride, James Franco, Demián Bichir, Billy Crudup, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce. Find the official synopsis and the less-spoiler-y trailer below.

“The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.”

For some time now, rumors have persisted of a possible Gladiator sequel, despite the small issue of neither of its main characters making it out of the first film alive. And, y’know, all those Alien sequels that director Ridley Scott apparently has in mind for the years to come.

But Scott, who hardly seems interested in taking a breather anytime in the near future, apparently has an idea for another Gladiator, with Russell Crowe involved once again as Maximus. EW reported that while at South By Southwest over the weekend, Scott (who was in Austin for a special screening of the original Alien this past weekend) commented on the prospects of a sequel, saying that “I know how to bring him [Maximus] back. I was having this talk with the studio — ‘but he’s dead.’ But there is a way of bringing him back. Whether it will happen I don’t know. Gladiator was 2000, so Russell’s changed a little bit. He’s doing something right now but I’m trying to get him back down here.”

Indeed, it’s harder to imagine the version of Crowe who’s starred in The Nice Guys and Les Miserables returning to the series, to say nothing of how dicey a proposition it can be for an actor to return to an acclaimed (let alone Oscar-winning) performance. But there are certainly a lot of people who would be interested in revisiting modern film’s most popular vision of ancient Rome, willing that Scott would be able to reconnect with Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius.

It’s not clear at this time exactly how Scott would bring the character back, but the article also mentions how “Crowe reportedly commissioned rocker Nick Cave in 2009 to write a Gladiator sequel script which had Maximus traversing through the afterlife,” which sounds ridiculous enough to be well worth watching, if in a very different way from the original. If you’re going to make an unnecessary sequel, “ghost gladiators” sounds like as good an idea as any.

In the meantime, Scott will return to theaters with Alien: Covenant on May 19th.

Ridley Scott recently confirmed that he has plans for a whole bunch of new Alien films following May’s Alien: Covenant. Now, in an interview with Fandango at South by Southwest, the 79-year-old director has reiterated his plans for four more entries in the franchise, and he already has a name for the next one.

While explaining the timeline that’s become incredibly muddled with Prometheus and now Covenant, Scott revealed that the next movie will be called Alien: Awakening. And it’s a sequel to Prometheus while also being a prequel to Covenant — because fuck your linear storytelling.

“There will be another one before we kind of literally and logically, clockwise, back into the rear back head of [the original] Alien,” Scott explained. “It will go Prometheus, Awakening, Covenant ….[it’s] fairly integral where this colonization ship is on the way….”

At that point, Covenant star Katherine Waterston cut in to stop Scott from spoiling too much about the future installments. However, he went on to add, “If [Covenant] is successful, and then the next one, and then there will definitely be three more.”

Whether we really need four more Alien films is a matter of opinion. Perhaps it’s best to withhold those thoughts until see how good Alien: Covenant is when it opens on May 19th. Watch the latest trailer below.

South by Southwest is a blitzkrieg of media. The minute that first Friday rolls around, Austin, Texas feels less like the capitol of The Lone Star state and more like the capitol of the world. You can’t go anywhere without running into someone or something, and that feeling starts with the film portion of the festival. Each year, the festival invites hundreds of stars to the premieres of their respective new movies and television shows, and each year, they walk up and down the red carpets that are laid across the front of every theater. While our writers are busy trying to get inside and secure a seat, our trusty photographer Heather Kaplan is right there to capture the magic before it hits the celluloid.

Hollywood is filled with stories of bloodthirsty screenwriters who came this close to killing off their protagonist, but were deterred at the zero hour. Add another to the pile because, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Alien director Ridley Scott revealed he originally wanted Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley dead at the end of his sci-fi horror masterpiece.

“I thought that the alien should come in, and Ripley harpoons it and it makes no difference, so it slams through her mask and rips her head off,” he says. He goes on to say the Xenomorph would mimic the voice of Tom Skerritt’s Captain Dallas saying, “I’m signing off.”

(Read: Ridley Scott’s Top 10 Films)

Maybe it’s just the fact that Weaver would go on to play the character three more times, and to even greater effect in Alien’s first sequel, that this sounds so stupid. Maybe it would’ve worked, but futility is deflating in any genre and a good ending is better off opting for ambiguity than definitive cruelty.

Naturally, the film’s executives weren’t stoked on Scott’s climax. “The first executive from Fox arrived on set within 14 hours, threatening to fire me on the spot,” he says. “So we didn’t do that [ending].” Watch the interview below.

Here’s hoping Scott’s not nursing similar thoughts about his upcoming Alien: Covenant, which hits theaters on May 19.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Sir Ridley Scott is a tour de force when he’s out promoting a movie. Lately, he’s been making the rounds for next month’s Alien: Covenant, shooting down fan theories, hinting at more sequels, and revealing alternate endings to beloved films.

However, nothing comes close to his interview with Sky News in which he channeled his inner Fox Mulder (or, perhaps, Tom De Longe), and argued that there are aliens watching and they have the capabilities to destroy us all.

“I believe in superior beings. I think it is certainly likely,” he explained. “An expert I was talking to at NASA said to me, ‘Have you ever looked in the sky at night? You mean to tell me we are it?’ That’s ridiculous.

“The experts have now put a number on it having assessed what is out there,” he continued. “They say that there are between 100 and 200 entities that could be having a similar evolution to us right now. So, when you see a big thing in the sky, run for it. Because they are a lot smarter than we are, and if you are stupid enough to challenge them you will be taken out in three seconds.”

We’ve heard of Eight Seconds, but Three Seconds?! Not for Scott, as he argues he has his own form of protection, something that heightens his sense of security.

“Nothing scares me. I have a 9mm,” he contended. “If there is a problem I tend to close down into calm. When you walk in in the morning on a film and 600 people turn and all look at you, that is scary.”

Speaking of scary, Alien: Covenant hits theaters on May 19th.

Sadly, the odds of seeing Sigourney Weaver and  Michael Biehn reprise their roles as Ellen Ripley and Dwayne Hicks are slim to none. If you recall, when Sir Ridley Scott decided to pivot his Prometheus franchise into a series of literal Alien prequels, Neill Blomkamp’s fifth sequel was put in a holding cell, one that even the District-9 filmmaker expressed doubts of ever leaving.

Now, it would appear the proposed film has gone the way of LV-426. Once again, Scott’s back in action promoting Alien: Covenant, and while he didn’t further detail our eventual demise by aliens, he did expand upon Blomkamp’s film: “There was never a screenplay, just an idea that evolved into a pitch of 10 pages. I was always just a producer, but it didn’t go any further because Fox decided that it didn’t want to do it.”

Granted, this is Hollywood, where the seed of an idea can lie dormant for years before ever growing (see: Mad Max: Fury Road), so who knows for sure. But, Weaver and Biehn aren’t getting any younger, and with Scott insistent on making a dozen more Alien prequels, Fox has very little reason to take a risk on a retconned sequel that would require a very complicated screenplay.

The good news is that Alien: Covenant hits theaters on May 19th, and you’ve seen 65% of it already. Look for Consequence of Sound’s review, from yours truly, next Wednesday, May 10th, in addition to other Alien-related features.