Rebecca Ferguson Could Star In 'Alien: Paradise Lost' 

The last month has brought forth plenty of news on the Prometheus sequel, thanks to Ridley Scott’s loose-lipped press commitments on The Martian. In light of Scott’s numerous revelatory interviews we now know that the follow-up is officially called Alien: Paradise Lost. And now the first new casting tidbit has arrived; Mission: Impossible’s Rebecca Ferguson is in early talks for a leading role. The one who utterly wiped the floor with Tom Cruise in Rogue Nation.

Deadline’s report includes few specifics, except to say that Ferguson is “in the mix” for the sequel. Does this mean there are other actors in contention? This is the first proper Alien movie in nearly twenty years, so using our speculative prowess it seems likely that there’ll be a lot of interest.

At this stage, it’s uncertain how many major characters will feature apart from returning stars Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender. Based on the script handed to Scott and studio brass, that the site describes as “very strong”, there is “a peach of a major female role.” Not a huge surprise when you consider the franchise’s past roster of ass-kicking women. Still, don’t get too excited just yet: Ferguson hasn’t been made a formal offer, as no “concrete talks” have taken place.

Scott’s ambitious sequel will send the two surviving Prometheus characters Elizabeth Shaw and David 8 to the Engineers’ home world. Their planet exploration will reveal the mysterious origin of the alien beast; and likely spawn a ton of gory deaths. A whole new group of travelers are expected to join them on their journey. Fingers crossed one of them’s a flamethrower-wielding Ferguson.

Production on Alien: Paradise Lost starts next March ahead of its 2017 release date.