Fans get a surprise on Ridley Scott's birthday: An 'Alien: Covenant' set photo

By Stephanie Topacio Long Updated November 30, 2016

ridley scott prometheus impact alien covenant — Alien Anthology/Twitter

It may be Ridley Scott’s birthday, but his fans also received a present on Wednesday: a new, behind-the-scenes Alien: Covenant photo. The image shows Scott working hard on the set; he may be 79 now, but he does not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down.

Alien: Covenant is set to follow 2012’s Prometheus, making it the second film in the Alien prequel series. It is also the sixth film in the Alien film series (not counting the two that also feature Predators), which kicked off nearly four decades ago with Scott in the director’s chair. Scott helped the franchise with 1979’s Alien.

The official Alien anthology Twitter account shared the image Wednesday, wishing Scott a happy birthday and saying, “a new kind of horror was born.”

And a new kind of horror was born. Happy Birthday, Ridley Scott. #AlienCovenant pic.twitter.com/cACEx8bVW8

— Alien (@AlienAnthology) November 30, 2016

Covenant will bring us aboard a colony ship on its way to a planet in a remote part of the galaxy. Along the way, the crew will discover an uncharted planet — one they initially believe to be a paradise but that turns out to be anything but. There, they’ll encounter David (played by Michael Fassbender), the sole survivor of the Prometheus expedition. In addition to Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Guy Pearce are reprising their Prometheus roles. The cast also features newcomers Danny McBride, Katherine Waterston, Demián Bichir, and Billy Crudup, among others.

Scott’s hard work on not just the latest installment in the anthology but over his entire career is worth noting, of course. In fact, it was just announced this week that he will receive the Directors Guild of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction, according to Collider. The guild’s president, Paris Barclay, called him “masterful in any genre,” and praised him for his groundbreaking work. Not a bad birthday present, right?

Alien: Covenant is due out in theaters on August 4.

Topics

Stephanie Topacio Long

Contributor

Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

Entertainment

The best animated movies on Netflix right now

A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Entertainment

From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever

Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Entertainment

10 best Batman stories ever, ranked

Batman Year One cover

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, the Dark Knight never misses his mark. He operates like a well-oiled machine tracking bad guys, beating them to a bloody pulp, and throwing them in the slammer - or Arkham Asylum should they be anyone of Gotham's notable supervillains. As the brainchild of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, an artist and writer duo, Batman has been pounding the pavement of Gotham ever since his debut in Detective Comics in 1939. He's undergone a number of changes since his original conception ultimately becoming the brooding powerhouse we know today.

Most understand the basic tenants of Batman these days. His parents were murdered before his young eyes leading him down this path of personal vindication and pursuit of justice. Batman, in most iterations, never resorts to killing -- the one crime that separates his outlaw vigilante operations from the real criminals. Of course, it wasn't always that way. In Batman's earliest days, he had no qualms about ending the lives of baddies on the streets. Even now, some stories and films like Tim Burton's gothic take on the character depict him looking on with cold and uncaring glares as criminals meet their end. Regardless, Batman is mostly a well-established hero simply seeking justice and there are countless stories of the Caped Crusader. Let's take a look at the best among them.
10. Hush