What is Prometheus? The Answer is Finally Here!

Questions abound regarding Ridley Scott’s upcoming could-be-an-Alien-prequel, Prometheus. Will it have aliens? Will it tie in to the other Alien films? Just what the hell is it? Well, some answers have finally come.

According to Scott in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter from CineEurope, the film’s title is the name of a spaceship sent from earth by an all-powerful corporation of the kind familiar to fans of the Alien franchise. The mythical reference — in Greek mythology Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give to man — is deliberate. “The (space) journey, metaphorically, is about a challenge to the gods,” Scott said.

Okay, so Prometheus is the name of the ship, but is it an Alien movie? Scott acknowledged that Prometheus, while not a direct prequel to Alien, occupies the same general universe, saying the picture was inspired by a desire to explore the mystery of the “space jockey“, the giant fossilized creature with the burst-open chest seen in the first Alien movie but never explained.

Star Michael Fassbender was also on hand at CineEurope, and he hinted that his character, David, might be a version of the infamous corporate-designed android that plays a pivotal role in all Alien films.

So what have we learned? Like always, not a whole lot. Prometheus stars Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce, and Michael Fassbender. Look for it in theaters on June 8th, 2012.