After a month or so of intense speculation on who was going to take the reins for Predators, Harry Knowles over at AICN confirms that late frontrunner Nimrod Antal will be directing the film, via an extremely juicy interview with producer Robert Rodriguez. It's become the norm for Aint it Cool to get the latest scoop on the new Predator film, as it turns out Harry is actually neighbours with Robert Rodriguez! That can only bode well for the latest information hitting the net fast and consistently.

I won't spoil the brand new info in the interview, as it's always more exciting reading it for yourself, but if you despise the AvP films and want to see an other-worldly setting for the new Predator film - Read on!

From the amazingly-cool file comes news of a Lego replica APC from Aliens:



As you can see the roof is removable to reveal an entire Lego interior command centre! Now all we need is a Lego Gorman being bitch-slapped by a Lego Vasquez and the diorama would be complete!

It appears as though the APC is a custom design by some fellows called The Brothers Brick who made the piece last July. Checkout their website for more Alien-Lego related awesomeness, including a Lego APC command centre, a Lego Giger's Alien and a Lego chestburster.

Thanks again to AVP Spectrum for the heads-up.

Kotaku has posted up some concept art for the recently canned Obsidian RPG Aliens: Crucible:


Umm... seriously, if that's the kind of designs we were going to see in the game, kind of glad it was cancelled...

More at Kotaku. Thanks to AvP Spectrum for the tip.

Harry who ran the excellent German AvP fansite www.aliensvspredator2.de just dropped me a line to let us know he's relaunching the website, redesigned and better than ever, with the new name AvP World.


The site is only about 70% done but Harry wanted to get it online due to the flurry of AVP-related news.

Best of luck to Harry and AvP World.

Sideshow Toys, in conjunction with Amalgamated Dynamics, will be producing a replica bust of the concept design for the PredAlien that was featured in AVP-R:


There is only a teaser image online right now but I'm sure a full page will be up soon.

Thanks to Xeno at AvP2Daily for the news.

This is a few days late, but one of the leading providers of cast resin Aliens props has announced that they now offer the long awaited VP-70.

SpatCave Studios is a full service Costume, Prop and Special Effects Make-Up Shop located in Little Neck, New York. And for several years the founder, Spat, has been producing some of the finest solid resin props and replicas within the Aliens community.  His Spulse Rifle has long been the leading resin cast Pulse Rifle replica, and now he's added the VP-70 to his Aliens props line-up.

The VP-70 was the preferred sidearm of the Colonial Marines and is seen in the hands of Frost (in the hive) and Gorman (in the Ops battle).

As a past customer of SpatCave Studios I can vouch for the quality and care that goes into Spat's work.  His molds are detailed, and his casts are clean and easy to assemble, and best of all his pricing is always fair.  Making his work affordable to even the casual hobbyist.  And each kit is made to order - so you aren't getting a kit that has been sitting on a shelf for 6 months.  You know that Spat has personally cast and approved the kit before sending it out.

The VP-70 comes in two solid resin pieces which need only a little cleaning and paint to make an excellent addition to any Aliens' fan's collection.  The kit is priced at $40.00 (plus shipping).  International shipping is also available.

Click here for more info on the VP-70

And feel free to check out SpatCave's extensive line of Aliens related props also for sale.

Happy bug hunting!

No SpatCave Studios firearms are firing weapons, and cannot be converted to be so.  They are solid resin cast replicas created for display purposes only.

I just received an e-mail from Hollywood Collectibles Group regarding their upcoming release of their officially licensed life-sized Aliens Chestburster.

This from HCG:
"From James Cameron's Oscar winning "Aliens", we are proud to present our officially licensed Chestbuster!

Depicted bursting from the chest of its hapless victim, the Chestburster already demonstrates the same aggression and ferocity of it's full grown siblings.

Created from the same molds that were used to create the original creature, this is a must have for any Aliens fan and a spectacular addition to your collection.  Approximately 12" tall."

The estimated ship date is fourth quarter 2009 (just in time for Christmas), and the retail cost is $199.95. As with their Pulse Rifle replica HCG are offering not only a four month payment plan, but also a second variation of the chestburster... a clean burster sans gore.  So take your pick and order soon, because these are limited to only 500 pieces world wide!

For more info visit Hollywood Collectibles Group.

From ShackNews:

Developer Obsidian and publisher Sega have officially confirmed that the Aliens RPG project has been canceled.

In a post on the company's official forums, noticed by Giant Bomb, Obsidian said that it was "no longer working on the game," adding that Aliens RPG is "no longer a product that is in development."

Publisher Sega--which had claimed the project was still in development as of June 15--has issued a brief statement, confirming that the project is altogether canceled.

"At this point, Sega has no plans to move forward with the Aliens RPG," said a Sega representative. "We plan to continue working with the Aliens franchise and ask fans to be patient and stay tuned for more information about what SEGA has coming out for the Aliens series of games, starting with the upcoming Alien vs. Predator game."

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59314

Shame.

Thanks to Dennis Lowe, Jon Sorensen, Bill Pearson and Simon Deering, and with great pleasure, we have just added a whopping 294 images to our Alien behind-the-scenes image gallery.


These photos are from the personal collections of Dennis, Jon, Bill and Simon and most of which have never before been seen on the Internet.

You will definitely want to head into the image gallery to check these out.

Jon Sorensen, who has recently been participating in some very interesting conversations with Dennis Lowe, Simon Deering and many of our forum members here on the site, has allowed us to upload and host his wonderful musical creations inspired by Alien and the time he spent working on the film as a miniature modeler.

Right now in our downloads section you can download either the entire Alien 5 album (you will need WinRar or another extraction utility to open the file) or each of the seven tracks individually. There is also one track from Jon's The Core of Dreams album titled A Saucerful of Secrets.

Any Alien fan should download and listen to these tracks as the music all ties in directly to the film and is an existential listening experience.

Special thanks to Jon for sharing these tracks with us. And feel free to post your feedback here I'm sure Jon is looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

On a related note, I'm looking for someone who can burn a PAL version DVD to test the PAL DVD ISO for the Alien Makers documentary before we release it publically. I tested the NTSC version myself and it is ready to go but I'm waiting to release both together. If you can play the PAL format let me know and I can make a download available for you.

Alien and Poltergeist will be shown in a double bill at the Somerset House in London:

They're heee-ere!! From Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg comes a pair of fright-filled chillers that take you from the depths of outer-space to an everyday suburban home, proving that nowhere is safe. Not even Somerset House on a Friday night.

Event information

Fri 31 July 2009
Doors Open 6.30pm
DJ Osymsyo from 7.30pm
Film starts 9.15pm
Tickets £16
Delicious food and drinks served, cash only

Alien and Poltergeist certificate 18
Double bill screenings are classified according to the highest certification.

If you're in the U.K., and near London, this would definitely be worth checking out. More information at the Somerset House website.

Thanks to forum member Facehugged for the news.

Relevant portions below:

Let's talk a bit about Alien. How do you feel about Ellen Ripley recently being named one of the most important science fiction and fantasy heroines of all time by the Web site Total Sci-Fi?

Oh, I didn't know that, but that's great. I was very pleased that MTV named her the second biggest badass in movie history, although I think she could take on Dirty Harry. That was cool. And it is the 30th anniversary of the first film. I love Ellen Ripley. She was a fascinating person to play in each incarnation and a great opportunity for a young actor.

Do you have any interest in being part of the planned Alien prequel movie, or appearing in the franchise ever again?

Well, I don't think that Ripley could appear in an Alien prequel because she doesn't have any access to the creature until the first Alien. But Ridley (Scott) is producing it and that makes me happy. I wasn't thrilled with the whole Alien Vs. Predator thing. I never saw them, but one of the reasons I died in (Alien) 3 was to not have anything to do with those (laughs). Just because, you know, I think it just seemed so economically motivated somehow. I feel we did four good movies, and I'm content with that. I hope if they do something new, they will encompass the idea of where the alien first came from, because I think that's an interesting idea -- to find out what happened and "how did it get to us?".

I know women who look up to you. My wife recently told me that she doesn't want to be Susie Homemaker, she wants to be Ellen Ripley. Growing up and studying acting, did you ever think you'd be playing such strong, iconic roles, such women of integrity?

I remember when they offered me the role of Ripley I was a little ambivalent and I remember thinking "Well, we don't get to do Henry V, so this is my Henry V." I think that when you're in an action movie it's great to mentally draw on all kinds of inspiration from theater and wherever, because you really need to animate a genre which is quite spare ... The fact was that we women never got to play these warriors and never got to play these leaders, and Ripley was that. And she was a great everyman kind of character, even though she was a woman. I think she represented the normal, ordinary person in extremis ... And she changes a lot in each one. It was a fascinating series to be a part of.

More at SciFi Squad.

SciFiNow is running a poll to determine the "greatest sci-fi film of all time" by allowing fans to vote online for their top 10 favourite films. Here's the scoop:

SciFiNow is offering all website visitors, magazine readers and forum dwellers to assist in a debate. We need you to help answer that perennial question, the one that has plagued genre fans for decades: what is the best sci-fi film... ever?

To make things a little easier, we ask that you write down ten of your favourite movies situated specifically in the sci-fi genre. Following this, all answers will be put through a rigorous scoring process and the winning candidates will be included in a special feature.

If you think any of the Alien or Predator films deserves a spot on that list visit SciFiNow.

Thanks to staffer Jay West for the heads up.

Say what? Yeah, me too. But according to LatinoReview rookie director Nimrod Antal, who directed Vacancy, a horror film starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, is in top running for the director's job on Predators:

LatinoReview has exclusively learned that director Nimrod Antal, not only is he one of the seven names, but is also the top contender and the guy most likely to get the gig.

Who?

I said the same damn thing. Then found out he directed Sony's ARMORED and VACANCY.

Don't know how far the negotiations have gone but I fully expect Harry Knowles to ask Robert Rodriguez if there is any truth to my story.

That being said, keep in mind when I said the same thing about Jackie Earle Haley being Freddy, the producer denied my story until it ultimately ended up true.

So Fox is demanding Ridley direct the Alien prequel but they're looking at a virtually untested director for Predators...

More at LatinoReview.

Thanks to dudelove.

In an off-the-cuff remark to Australian gaming site Game Player head honcho of Gearbox, Randy Pitchford, mentioned that James Cameron would be working on, the still to be developed, Aliens: Colonial Marines:

Gearbox Software has trademarked the name Pandora for the planet used in the game Borderlands. Problem is, James Cameron's Avatar also includes a planet called Pandora. I got chatting with the charismatic Randy Pitchford - nice bloke - about whether or not he was going to tell Mr. Cameron where to go. He pointed out it was a delicate situation as they need to work with the famous director on Aliens: Colonial Marines - so it looks like if anyone changes, it will be poor old Borderlands (which looked a treat btw).

For the full article visit Game Player.

Thanks to Sinister in the AvPNew forums for the tip.