‘Spectre’ Writer John Logan Tasked With Helping ‘Alien: Paradise Lost’ Make Sense
Prometheuswas a thousand and one razor-sharp ideas crammed into a bag made of paper – the whole thing bursts and cuts you deep the moment you start poking it too hard.Ridley Scott’sAlienprequel has ambition in spades and it’s jaw-dropping on a technical level, but its story is a total mess. If this series is going to survive another installment,Alien: Paradise Lostwill need a solid foundation.
And it looks like Scott has turned for help to someone he has worked with before. Three-time Academy Award nomineeSpectrewriterJohn Loganhas reportedly been brought on board to rewrite the screenplay. Hit the jump for everything we know about the newAlien Paradise Lostwriter.
The news about Logan joining the project is buried in amuch larger Variety articleabout Scott receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Here’s what we know: Scott and Logan are currently revising theAlien: Paradise Lostscreenplay, beating things into shape for the film’s February start date. Beyond that, all is speculation.
Logan is an interesting writer with a huge range. He received Oscar nods for writing and co-writingGladiator,The Aviator, andHugo, but his credits include other critical favorites likeThe Last Samurai,Sweeney Todd, andRango. He’s also the mastermind behind Showtime’sPenny Dreadful, which has grown to be one of television’s most giddily entertaining shows. However, his name is also on movies likeStar Trek: NemesisandThe Time Machine, and the 1999 horror debacleBats, so he’s had his fair share of stinkers. Reactions to his recent contributions to the James Bond mythos withSkyfallandSpectrehave been thoroughly mixed (shaken, not stirred).
Alien: Paradise Lostremains shrouded in mystery. We know thatit will be a direct sequeltoPrometheus, followingNoomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw andMichael Fassbender’s David as they continue their quest into the darkest, weirdest corners of outer space. We also know that they willmeet up with a new batch of human meat sacks who will probably meet unpleasant ends. And that Scott used his considerable influence toall-but-kill director Neill Blomkamp’s proposedAlienssequel. Whatever he plans to do with theAlienseries, Scott means business. No one else is allowed in his playground.
Even with the occasional stinker, Logan carries an air of respectability with him. He’s a strong writer with a mostly strong body of work. We have no idea what he’ll bring to something as unique as theAlienseries, but that only makes us more curious to find out.
