20th Century Studios has reportedly indefinitely frozen the sequel to "Alien: Romulus." This is reported by World of Reel, citing a single but, according to the publication, verified source. According to this information, the project faced several production problems at once, and one of the main ones was a creative dispute between Fede Álvarez and Ridley Scott.
According to the insider, the reason for the conflict was Álvarez's desire to bring back the android David from the films "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant." The director prepared the final version of the script, and Michael Fassbender was ready to sign a contract to participate in the project.
However, Ridley Scott, who serves as producer and creative consultant for the franchise, opposed the character's return. According to the source, the director wants to save David for his own potential projects in the "Alien" universe, which has stalled the production of the "Romulus" sequel.
Against this backdrop, 20th Century Studios has reportedly shifted priorities and launched the development of another film in the franchise. The script for the new film is being written by Brian Duffield ("No One Will Save You," "Underwater"). The project will be a standalone story, unrelated to "Alien: Romulus." No other details are available yet.