Neil Blomkamp, the director of "Alien" sequel, has revealed new props and weapons, including the iconic pulse rifle, for the upcoming movie.
On his Instagram, Blomkamp posted a picture of the gun with the caption: "We all knew there would be pulse rifles. Obviously now with added RIS."
The new gun is almost identical to the original one. However, significant changes include the scope on the top and some body designs. Though the gun looks fresh, it has retained the nostalgic element of the franchise.
The weapon was the signature rifle of Dwayne Hicks (Michael Biehn) in 1986 "Aliens" that he described as a "personal friend". With the character of Hicks set to return in the sequel, the idea to bring along his gun will be a good move.
Apart from Blomkamp directing and Sigourney Weaver reprising her role of Ripley from the original movies, not much information regarding the sequel has been revealed yet. Even though the movie has been referred to as "Alien 5" by most of the sources and websites, it seems to be a direct sequel to "Aliens" and ignores the events of "Alien 3" and "Alien Resurrection".
With Ridley Scott all set to direct the prequel movie of "Alien" franchise, titled "Alien: Paradise Lost", it has become Blomkamp's responsibility to make sure the "Alien" sequel does justice to the original four movies.
Blomkamp's "District 9" was highly successful both critically and commercially. However, his next movies "Elysium" and "Chappie" failed to do well at the box office. Hence, where fans are hopeful that he will bring back the old glory of the "Alien" franchise, there are certain doubts regarding the success of the movie too.
Though the sequel is still to get a release date, Ridley Scott revealed in September that he would be producing the movie, which will be made after "Alien: Paradise Lost".