Lots of New Info on Upcoming ALIEN Prequel Called PARADISE; Release Date NOT Delayed

While we reported on one of those pesky internet rumors the other day about how the release date on Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien prequel had been pushed back an entire year, it turns out the validity of said rumor was less than solid. Vulture reports that the release date, in fact, has not been pushed back. But that’s not all! The title of said Alien prequel is reportedly Paradise. In addition, Scott has been looking to cast actors Michael Fassbender and Michelle Yeoh in a couple of the supporting parts. Hit the jump to find out what roles Fassbender and Yeoh would play, some details on the plot, why Fassbender’s deal may not work out, and how that crazy internet rumor started in the first place.

Apparently the rumor that production would be pushed back initially began because producers were negotiating with Leonardo Dicaprio to star in the film. They were looking at ways to work the shooting schedule of the flick around Dicaprio’s filming of Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover biopic.  It seems that a workable schedule wasn’t possible, and Dicaprio won’t be starring in the film after all.
The story of the film apparently, “follows a group of space travelers who encounter a monstrous alien creature that picks them off, one by one.” Though this sounds a bit generic, and makes me wonder if these prequels are even necessary if they’re just gonna make copycat of the PG-13 “horror” films that saturate the market today, I’m reminded that Lost mastermind Damon Lindelof’s rewrite of the script is what kick-started the project into gear, and had everyone behind the scenes more than thrilled.
The role that Scott has been looking at Fassbender to play is apparently named “’David,’ who’s actually an android, an earlier version of the Bishop 341-B character that Lance Henriksen famously played in Aliens.”  However, Fassbender’s reps have been asking for a bit more money than the studio behind the Alien prequel is willing to part with, so his deal may not end up coming through. Yeoh is apparently up for the role of “Vickers”, who is described as “a fortysomething, tough-but-sexy woman.” Other characters that are apparently a part of the film include an older businessman-type, and a six-foot-five-inch actor who will be made up entirely of CGI named “Engineer 1.”
Since the site that originated the rumor of production being pushed back also reported that the frontrunners for the starring role of “Elizabeth Shaw” are Olivia Wilde and Noomi Rapace, the validity of their status as frontrunners is a bit more shaky. However, their names have been mentioned multiple times in connection to the role, along with my personal favorite, Cary Mulligan, so it’s safe to assume that they’re in the running. With news that production hasn’t been pushed back after all, maybe visual effects guru Henry South’s tweet that he had started work on the production means that the project will get going fairly soon. If that’s the case, expect big casting announcements in the next couple of months as deals are finalized. Paradise will be one of two planned prequel films, and Scott has stated that both of them will be filmed in 3D.

Source: Lots of New Info on Upcoming ALIEN Prequel Called PARADISE; Release Date NOT Delayed