Scott: 'New Alien film to be prequel'

Tony Scott has revealed that the proposed new Alien film will be a prequel.

The producer of the upcoming movie said that he expects the franchise reboot to begin filming "hopefully [by] the end of the year" but was unsure if it would be on the calendar as a summer 2011 release.

Scott also confirmed that Carl Rinsch would take over directorial duties from his brother Ridley, who directed the original film in 1979 and will oversee the current project.

He told Collider: "Yes, Carl Rinsch is going to do the prequel to Alien. He’s one of our directors at our company."

There is speculation as to whether the prequel will focus on the events leading up to the first film, with a spaceship loaded with alien eggs crash landing on a remote planet, to be discovered by the crew of the Nostromo.

The Alien franchise has made $850 million at the worldwide box office.