Before the crew of the spaceship Covenant battles with the new neomorph aliens in Alien: Covenant, fans of the franchise can go back to the future with the original 1979 film. The classic Ridley Scott joint, starring Sigourney Weaver as the indomitable Ellen Ripley is returning to movie theaters for “Alien Day” on April 26.
On Tuesday, Regal Cinemas announced the return of original cinematic Alien. Attendees will not only get to see the classic film on the big screen again, but they will also be treated to some “footage from *Alien: Covenant.” It’s unclear if this footage will be brand new or a mix of footage that has already been released.
Seeing the original Alien right before Covenant will create interesting context for fans. Like a lot of popular blockbusters, Alien: Covenant has a complicated cinematic taxonomy. It’s both a sequel to the 2012 Prometheus and a quasi-prequel to the original Alien. Because director Ridley Scott says there will be additional films made after Covenant, it’s still unclear how close Covenant will get — in terms of chronology — to the original film.
But, for fans of the original, that continuity stuff might not be the point. Because Covenant looks to be aesthetically a horror film in the vein of the original, the release of Alien in movie theaters will allow fans to revisit that beloved outer space world in which no one can hear your scream.
You can get tickets for the release of Alien here. Alien: Covenant hits theaters in wide release on May 19, 2017.
