By Matthew Jackson, Source: Blastr.com
A few days ago the ‘net got a glimpse of what appeared to be a very poor-quality version of the as-yet-unofficial trailer for Ridley Scott’s mysterious Prometheus. The film has been under such tight wraps that we’re hungry for any glimpse we get, but Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Tom Rothman was not amused.
In fact, he warned us all that the footage we saw was just “half-assed,” and the real deal is coming soon.
Speaking from the red carpet at the Gotham Awards last night, Rothman made it clear that the leaked footage was only part of a “test,” and that it pales in comparison to the finished product Scott is working on right now.
“It’s heartbreakingly unfair because Ridley Scott, in addition to everything else … I mean, this is a spectacularly beautiful, shot in 3-D, compositionally, the way only a master can do it,” Rothman said. “And for some early, early, early, early, half-baked, half-assed test to leak … it’s so unfair. But I will promise you this: When that material is ready, and it comes out, and you go see it in 3-D on a screen, it will deliver.”
Rothman also addressed the continued question of just how tied Prometheus is to the Alien franchise. We’ve heard everything from yes, it definitely is part of the franchise to it’s connected, but you’ll have to wait until the ending to see how. Whatever the connection, Rothman seems to believe that the term “prequel” doesn’t cover it.
“It’s not [a prequel],” he said. “Hand on heart.”
The interviewer pressed him, saying that if the film takes place before Alien, then it’s a prequel by definition. Rothman hedged a bit, but seemed to be adamant in his claim.
“If you’re going to define it that way, most movies are, too. Then every science fiction movie is a prequel,” he said. “I suppose if you definitionally want to be that literal, but it does it a great disservice.”
Then he got to the actual business of explaining just why a flick that takes place before another flick isn’t really a prequel.
“If you looked at the whole movie, 95 percent of it is entirely unto itself. Ridley said it right. If you’re a fan, and you look closely, you’ll spot strands of the DNA,” he said. “It’s way bigger than that. The ideas are way bigger, way more original and, it’s a scary word, but way more profound.”
And as for whether Prometheus could be the start of a new sci-fi franchise unto itself, Rothman had a simple answer:
“The audience decides that.”
