A remake of Ridley Scott’s classic science fiction horror, Alien, is getting more and more likely with a rumour that Michael Costigan, Ridley Scott and Tony Scott are all on board to produce a new Alien movie, likely to be a remake or a prequel rather than a continuation of the same story from the first four. Bloodydisgusting.com, where the rumour first appeared, revealed that the commercial/music video director Carl Erik Rinsch has signed on to direct.

A recent update on Bloody Disgusting.com adds another rumour to the mix, suggesting that Fox is "possibly working on an origins story, as opposed to a straight-up remake."

Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie, released in 1979, told the story of a crew returning from a deep-space mission who are revived prematurely from cryogenic suspension by an SOS call from a nearby planet. Descending to the planet's surface they discover a strange derelict spaceship. When one of the crew enters the ship he finds thousands of alien eggs. One of the eggs hatches and a parasite latches itself onto his face. After the alien parasite is removed and dies, the crew believe the danger has passed. However, another alien is quietly growing inside its human host...

This is the second time in a matter of months that the possibility of an Alien remake has done the rounds, so while an Alien remake, prequel or origins story is by no means a certainty, the odds have increased in its favour.

In an earlier article in April this year, IESB reported that Fox Co-chairman Tom Rothman had talked about an Alien prequel, saying that:

"Ridley is right now working on Robin Hood, but I think he's toying with the idea and that would be great for us. I mean, it's always been a matter of, really, if you can get the originator to do it that would be the greatest thing, so I've got my fingers crossed, all of them."

Rothman gave the impression the new Alien remake wouldn’t go ahead without Ridley’s involvement.

Ridley Scott appears to have his work cut out for him if all his announced and rumoured projects take off. So far he is directing adaptations of Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War, Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World, an adaptation of the board game Monopoly, and now possibly producing an Alien remake too. Apart from the Monopoly board game adaptation, which I think is the silliest idea I’ve heard for a movie in a long time, I would jump at the chance to see any of these adaptations make it to the big screen. The more science fiction from Ridley Scott the better.

For those of you who have forgotten Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie, watch the trailer on YouTube below for a refresher.