A sequel for Prometheus, the Ridley Scott-directed prequel to his iconic 1979 film Alien, has been in the works for a while.

Or it started as a prequel, at least. Aside from both franchises having engineers and a similar tone, the two films didn't directly cross over aside from a brief look at an Alien-like creature at the very end of Prometheus.

A more direct link between the two franchises would be coming in the sequel, many assumed. However, one sequel might not be enough to get the job done. In a new interview with German website FilmFutter (via Bloody Disgusting), Scott mentions a possible third or even fourth film might be needed in order to properly connect it all.

It won't be in the next one," Scott says about directly connecting with Alien. "It will be in the one after this one or maybe even a fourth film before we get back into the Alien franchise ...

"The whole point of it is to explain the Alien franchise and to explain the how and why of the creation of the Alien itself," he continues. "I always thought of the Alien as kind of a piece of bacterial warfare. I always thought that that original ship, which I call the Croissant, was a battleship, holding these biomechanoid creatures that were all about destruction."

So, what does this mean for Neill Blomkamp's new Alien film, which will supposedly ignore the continuity of the existing third and fourth entries in the Alien franchise? Rumors have swirled that production on the film is being held up by the Prometheus sequel, as Scott wants to finish it before work begins on the next Alien film. However, if Scott wants to direct another two films, how long will it be before Blomkamp's new take on the franchise sees the light of day?

We'll just have to wait and see. Prometheus 2 is expected to begin filming in January of 2016, with a release in the summer of 2017.

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