Contrary to earlier reports, New York Magazine maintains it has the straight scoop on Ridley Scott’s ALIEN Prequels: They NOT going to be pushed to 2013 and 2014.
According to the site, there was some talk of delaying production of the films so that Leonardo DiCaprio (INCEPTION) could play a major role. Since that’s not going to come to pass, there’s no reason for the long wait.
The title for the prequel (at least the first part) is apparetly PARADISE—not a title that immediately springs to mind for the ALIEN franchise.
The source claims that PARADISE is akin to a reboot of the original ALIEN in which people encounter predatory alien life forms, presumably for the first time. The female lead “Elisabeth Shaw” is rumored to be a role that could be filled by Noomi Rapace. Another stronge female part is said to be the 40-something “Vickers”, with Michelle Yeoh under consideration.
A Bishop-like android, “David” is also reported to be in the script. It’s claimed that the part was offered to Michael Fassbender, whose reps wanted too much money.
WARNING: All of the above is completely unverified, as far as I can tell—just as I cautioned about the original report.
UPDATE 12/10 : As warned, none of this information can be considered reliable. See NEW ITEM