You definitely don't want to hitch a ride with the pilot in Sir Ridley Scott's creepy new Alien: Covenant photo.
Ostensibly released to celebrate film-maker Scott's 79th birthday, this sneak peek at the Prometheus sequel also includes the infamous 'space jockey' placed conspicuously in the background.
This mysterious (and dead) alien was notoriously discovered by the crew of Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) ship the Nostromo in the first Alien film – albeit with a hole in its midsection where a chest-bursting Xenomorph popped out.
In 2012's pseudo-Alien prequel Prometheus, an earlier space crew also came across that same Space Jockey (also called an Engineer of Pilot) and set off the Xenomorph's evolution.
Both the Xenomorph and the space jockey were iconic designs created for Sir Ridley Scott by the late painter and necro-sculptor H. R. Giger back in the late '70s.
Alien: Covenant is technically a sequel to Prometheus (and another Alien prequel – you still with us?), as the Covenant's crew stumbles upon the wreckage of the Prometheus.
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The only surviving member of that doomed mission is the android David (Michael Fassbender), who comes face-to-face with an upgraded model called Walter (also played by Fassbender).
In a deepening of the Alien lore, Covenant will also apparently create a disgusting mutation of the Xenomorph – which is definitely bad news for the human crew.
This space epic will star Katherine Waterston and Carmen Ejogo, both of whom recently worked together on the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"[Katherine and I] both get to do really transformative things in both [Alien and Fantastic Beasts]," Carmen told Digital Spy at Fantastic Beasts' UK premiere. "It's the best thing as an actress when you get to transform constantly.
"So for Katherine and I to get to do that together in two movies was quite a treat. Yeah, we definitely got to know each other."
Alien: Covenant arrives on May 19, 2017.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
