A Race of Directors

I think it would be cool if we get ALIEN 5 right after Paradise.  IMO there doesn't necessarily have to be a race, although I think P2 should be released first for a number of reasons.

I'm hoping that if ALIEN5 happens it's in some way connected to Paradise.

If they plan things out, work together/agree on things, then they could turn Prometheus's small beginning into something much bigger.  ALIEN5 could include clues that help us solve mysteries in the Prometheus series.

Then we could jump back to an earlier part of the timeline in Prometheus part 3 to fill in the final missing pieces of the puzzle -- establishing the entire timeline.  There were 8 different lines of David, and if Prometheus spawns a trilogy, then we can have 8 different movies in the series.  I'd keep watching.

ALIEN^5 could take us back to a semi-familiar ALIENS feel with Hicks being resurrected, while at the same time connecting to A:R & Paradise, bringing us to new dimensions (the number 5 might become symbolically important, as would the logo of the Alien eating its own tail). 

I'd like to know more about what Blomkamp has in mind as the illustrations depict Ripley and Hicks as they would appear soon after Aliens. The actors are now 30 years older, and whould not be able to assume these roles, not convincingly anyway. To me it looks more like a fantasy. What if we could forget Alien 3 and Alien 4, and start again after Aliens? I like the concept, but how could such a thing be pulled-off without recasting Ripley and Hicks?  

I think recasting Ripley may be the way forward. Just look at JJ Abrams’ approach to Star Trek which I think has worked really well. That did open the door for the old to meet the new. I refer to Spock of course here. Maybe something like that could be done with Ripley. It would take one hell of a storyline to pull that off though.

@sp_jockey  If Blomkamp is considering Resurrection canon, then it might be that Hicks was Resurrected too, for sinister purposes.  Maybe clones age slightly faster than humans. Ripley 8 was hybridized with the Alien to a certain extent, and therefore her cells have slightly greater ability to regenerate.  Sigourney looks good for her age, better than Hicks. That would explain how the actors could portray the same characters in the context of the story.  That's if Blomkamp has a story yet

If you've read the new trilogy of novels then maybe Ripley can actually forget A:R ever happened, or view it as a fantasy: a Nightmare we forget.  "In dreams no one can hear you scream" (except David).

That's almost what we're forced to do with Ripley's time on LV-228 in Out of the Shadows.  Book 2 implies the Aliens are more than physical beings, not "only flesh and blood".  They can follow you into dreams. The Alien is portrayed as empathic and alters subconscious emotional states.

@Batchpool  Recasting could work. The Alien universe itself has so many interesting possibilities/other things going on that recasting Ripley would probably be accepted by most, if not all, people.  Those who might be hesitant could be swayed, provided the story is good.  As long as the new actress can convincingly portray Ripley etc.  I really think it could work with this universe, but I too feel it's kinda strange that Sigourney is so eager to return.  She talked about "finishing Ripley's story".

I doubt there will be recasts because Bloomkamp was inspired by his time working with Sigourney Weaver on the set of 'Chappie' to make the movie. Also, from what I understand Ridley Scott is producing Neil's movie. 

That's the best part.  Now that things are moving forward it's essentially a guarantee that Sigourney is returning; and it might not really be a race since Ridley is involved.

If they were to race, it wouldn't be as "straightforward as we think".  It might be more of a marathon than a race - where the runners become more like running partners.  There's no real need to rush or stall the other runner because the two are running the whole distance together.  Prometheus then becomes even less like a prequel to ALIEN, and more like a parallel sequence of events: a parallel strand of DNA that runs alongside the original series and acts as the first link in the chain.  The first in a sequence/series of events.

Prometheus is a parallel story (and in some ways a prequel to the whole series). It's much like one side of the double-helix. The two storylines can coexist (they must). If the two stories "meet each other in the middle" at every step of the way, or "wrap up around the same time", then it's not much of a race ;)

Ripley warned us Prometheus isn't a direct prequel.  Paradise wouldn't lead directly to ALIEN.  Instead, Prometheus started a parallel sequence of events in the same universe.  The two stories share DNA: there are strong bonds between the two (particularly in the bio-mechanics department).  However, Prometheus is describing "the other side" of the double-helix in a symbolic sense.  "Gods don't build in straight lines".  Things are more "twisted" than the parallel lines Holloway spotted.  Not exactly a "straightforward" path & may necessitate a "turn of events" in Paradise where runners might get lost.  It's better to have a running mate.  We wouldn't be able to tie things up nicely just yet.  Our task would be to find parallels between the story strands, which helps solve Paradise/Prometheus.  Comparative methods of analysis, drawing analogies, finding similarities & differences etc., can help understand Prometheus.  In that sense, the two runners would only serve to further each other.  They'd help each other cross the finish line in the marathon.