- Title: 'Alien: Covenant' premieres in London
- Date: 4th May 2017
- Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS PROFANITY*** (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, SAYING ABOUT THE MESSAGE OF 'ALIEN: COVENANT': "It just provokes - it just provokes thought. It's very relevant at the moment, the concept of AIs and what our future is with them and you know just tread carefully maybe." VARIOUS OF RIDLEY SCOTT TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, RIDLEY SCOTT, SAYING: "It's to scare the shit out of you. That's it. This is not 2001, dude. Scare the living shit out of you." SCOTT / FASSBENDER (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, RIDLEY SCOTT, SAYING ABOUT WHAT MAKES FILM SO SCARY: "Then you got to take the drawing and make it real. Frequently you get a drawing and you make a set and it looks like a 1950s coffee bar, can't have that. So, the designers on 'Alien' were specifically brilliant. So, they made everything look real." VARIOUS OF ACTRESS, KATHERINE WATERSTON (SOUNDBITE) ACTRESS, KATHERINE WATERSTON, SAYING ABOUT HOW HER CHARACTER COMPARES TO SIGOURNEY WEAVER'S RIPLEY AND NOOMI RAPACE'S ELIZABETH SHAW: "I think what's consistent in all the films with Ripley and (Elizabeth) Shaw and Daniels for some reason, for whatever reason, this one person in the crew has great instincts and...maybe three things. Great instincts, good fortune and a warrior spirit but at the beginning of the film you don't know this - they're just workaday members of their crew and that's the kind of thing you count on in the 'Alien' films." VARIOUS OF ACTOR BILLY CRUDUP (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, BILLY CRUDUP, SAYING: "I think it's interesting that he's (Ridley Scott) somebody who is a primary creator and he wants to make movies about what is it to be a primary creator. What does it mean to be a creator, like, for instance, if we create artificial intelligence will they reflect upon us as their gods? Will they write myths about us in the way that we've made myths about our creators. the way that he's written movies about gods and monsters. So, yeah."
- Embargoed: 18th May 2017 21:32
- Keywords: movie Michael Fassbender Ridley Scott Alien film Alien Covenant
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / UNDIENTIFIED
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / UNDIENTIFIED
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA0096FFDDFX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS A PROFANITY IN SHOT 17
Michael Fassbender and Ridley Scott walked the green carpet in front of hundreds of fans as 'Alien: Covenant' premiered in London on Thursday (May 4).
Beginning with 1979's critically acclaimed space horror movie 'Alien' the franchise has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, with the latest installment acting as a sequel to 2012 prequel 'Prometheus'.
Scott has returned to direct 'Alien: Covenant', which follows a group of colonists travelling through space who pick up a message from an unknown world and go to explore the mysterious signal.
Once they land the crew is struck by illness and also come across Michael Fassbender's droid, David, who last appeared in 'Prometheus'.
Fassbender plays two droids in the film, David, who is creative, and Walter, who is considered a more functional, less free-thinking upgrade.
The famed Xenomorph also reappears in a slightly different form than normal.
"Don't know. I think personally it's, it's just the actual image of it seems to be in our psyche. I think the alien is beautiful but it's repulsive. There's something very primal about it. It doesn't have any eyes. So, that's kind of freaky and there's something quite sexual about it as well so I think it's a very provocative image the Xenomorph," said Fassbender, explaining the creature's long lasting pop culture appeal.
Fassbender also said the film could make audiences consider the future of AI intelligence.
"It just provokes - it just provokes thought. It's very relevant at the moment, the concept of AIs and what our future is with them and you know just tread carefully maybe."
U.S. actress Katherine Waterston also stars in the film as Daniels, a crew member who fits a similar function to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in that she finds herself having to lead her crew's fight against a Xenomorph.
"I think what's consistent in all the films with Ripley and (Elizabeth) Shaw and Daniels for some reason, for whatever reason, this one person in the crew has great instincts and...maybe three things. Great instincts, good fortune and a warrior spirit but at the beginning of the film you don't know this - they're just workaday members of their crew and that's the kind of thing you count on in the 'Alien' films," said Waterston.
British actor Tom Hardy also made an appearance at the premiere and stopped to meet fans and pose for photos with them.
'Alien: Covenant' is released in the UK on May 12th. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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