Yesterday was Alien Day, and to mark both this and to advertise the next chapter in Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise, 20th Century Fox released a prologue short called “The Crossing” alongside a terrifying VR experience.
The clip (shown above), lasting two minutes and 40 seconds, begins with: “In 2093, the Prometheus expedition went looking for humanity’s creators. The mission ended in disaster after the discovery of a deadly alien pathogen. The survivors continue their search…” Michael Fassbender’s voice explains how he (David) and Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) escaped as the Prometheus was destroyed.
Back in November 2015, Scott announced that there would be three sequels to 2012’s Prometheus film which was itself a prequel to Alien (1979). Due to be released on May 19, Alien: Covenant will be the first of these three.
This film was previously known as Alien: Paradise Lost (after Milton’s famous poem) and follows the crew of the Covenant to what they believe to be a paradise. What the world is, in reality, is a perilous planet with a population of one – David, the sinister android.
The prologue released yesterday is only one in a series of teasers that were posted ahead of the film’s release. Another trailer shows Walter, the ships android, and a glimpse at the aliens. Alongside this, 20th Century Fox released Alien Covenant: In Utero, a 360-degree virtual reality journey that they state “offers a terrifyingly close and personal encounter as an alien neomorph at the time of its birth.” This is now available on the Oculus store.
If you’re still a bit lost, you can read Ridley Scott’s explanation of how his Prometheus sequels fit into Alien here.