Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho has expressed his interest in directing a new installment to Ridley Scott’s long-running Alien franchise. Bong is no stranger to the sci-fi horror genre, after previously directing the 2006 monster movie The Host, which is currently one of Bong’s highest-rated movies to date.

During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bong was asked if he ever had plans to direct big-budget movies for popular franchises like Star Wars or James Bond. The South Korean filmmaker admitted that he’s not really interested in doing franchise movies. However, if given the opportunity, he would like to try to do an Alien movie. "I’m not drawn to franchise films, but I did think at one point that," Bong shared over Zoom through his interpreter, Sharon Choi. Interestingly, he also teased his vision for the potential project, revealing that he would like it to be "." For his work on the 2019 black comedy Parasite, he bagged multiple Oscar Awards, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Last year, 20th Century Studios released Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus movie starring Cailee Spaeny, which served as the latest installment to the long-running horror franchise after 2017’s Alien: Covenant. The film takes place between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens, following a group of space colonists. The spinoff also received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with a current Certified Fresh rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. At the moment, the studio is preparing for the upcoming debut of FX on Hulu’s prequel series Alien: Earth, which will be led by Sydney Chandler and Timothy Olyphant. This marks the first major story in the franchise that will be set on Earth.

Bong’s next directorial feature will be Warner Bros.’ sci-fi black comedy Mickey 17, which will see Robert Pattinson playing a disposable clone worker. The upcoming movie’s official synopsis reads, "the unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living." Joining Pattinson are Oscar nominees Steven Yeun as Berto, Toni Collette as Gwen Johansen, and Mark Ruffalo as Hieronymous Marshall, along with Naomi Ackie as Nasha Adjaya, Holliday Grainger as Gemma, Anamaria Vartolomei as Kai Katz, Angus Imrie as Shrimp Eyes, Cameron Britton as Arkady, Patsy Ferran as Dorothy, Daniel Henshall as Preston, Steve Park as Agent Zeke, and Tim Key as Pigeon Man.

At the moment, Bong is also currently developing a mystery CGI animated movie about deep-sea creatures, with Werner Herzog attached to star. The untitled project has been in the works since 2019, and is targeting a potential 2027 release. In addition, the visionary filmmaker is also planning his next horror movie, which is expected to take place in an underground subway in Seoul, South Korea. In a recent interview with MBC Korea, he described the untitled movie as “kind of like my [his] life project,” as he has been developing it for nearly 25 years. Further details about its plot and characters are still being kept under wraps.

Bong's Mickey 17 hits theaters on March 25.

Source: Los Angeles Times