Why was Alien 5 never made? A timeline of the events that made the world miss out on a possible classic

When Ridley Scott first came out with Alien, there was hardly anything better in the sci-fi genre, and it quickly lit the way for multiple other sci-fi films, including three sequels to the original. Of course, viewers know about the spinoffs and prequels that came later, but there was also supposed to be a fifth Alien film that never reached fruition.

This is an especially frustrating fact because the film almost happened quite a few times, often promising extravagance as well, but it never made it to the big screens due to various circumstances.

The plans to make Alien 5 go back to Alien: Resurrection, which was supposed to set the stage for a bigger and bolder film in the series, but it never happened. Here's why.

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What happened to Alien 5?

The fifth installment in Ridley Scott's famed franchise could have been a game-changer for the genre. Right after Ressurection made its debut, the studio revealed its plans to go forward with the fifth part, bringing in Josh Whedon to direct. They also wanted Sigourney Weaver to reprise her role.

The plan was that the fourth film would act as a gateway to the fifth part, which would expand the universe beyond what we had seen up until then. Whedon had said:

"There’s a big story to tell in another sequel. The fourth film is really a prologue to a movie set on Earth. Imagine all the things that can happen. If I write this movie, and it has my writing credits on it, then it’s going to be on Earth... And it’s going to be very different from the last one... With Alien Resurrection, I used the first two movies as models, but with this one, I can promise you something new, something completely different from what’s been seen before."

The fifth film was slated to be called Revelation. But after the fourth film came out (to a largely mixed reception), the studio put the fifth film on hold. Whedon also got frustrated after the release and soon lost interest in the project, leading the film to a dead end.

Rumors about the fifth film continued to circulate throughout the late 1990s, with Sigourney Weaver even dropping some details about her expectations for the film. But it would be quite some time before the rumors came back to life.

In 2002, rumors started circulating that James Cameron and Ridley Scott were looking to team up for the fifth film, a possibility that ignited interest in the project once again. Ridley Scott even commented on the development, saying:

"You know I thought it’d be nice. I’d do it. It really is entirely dependent on the take on the material. It’s all about material. I’ve been asked about Alien 5, and I said of course. We’ve started a script meeting. I mean, I’ve started it off so I may as well close the door – if in fact this is meant to be the last one."

Rumored plotlines about the fifth and sixth installments of the film also began circulating soon, but despite the hype, the project never panned out, much to the disappointment of the fans.

This was primarily because the studio went with Alien vs. Predator instead of the fifth film, resulting in the story moving in another direction.

This ultimately made Hollywood miss out on a memorable film and a possibly memorable collaboration between two of sci-fi's greatest, Scott and Cameron.