‘Alien: Covenant’ Latest News & Updates: Ridley Scott Film Release Date, to Open on May 19; Months Ahead of Schedule

Ridley Scott film "Alien: Covenant" is set to be shown on May 19. This is the latest updated schedule for the latest "Alien" prequel. It was originally scheduled for August 4, 2017.

According to Movie Insider, the movie will release one week before Memorial Day, when "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" opens in theaters. "Alien: Covenant" will also be opening two weeks after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." This means that it will have no big budget movie competition during its opening weekend.

The Ridley Scott film "Alien: Covenant" is a sequel to "Prometheus," which starred Michael Fassbinder. Cnet reports that in "Alien: Covenant," Fassbinder joins returning star Noomi Rapace, along with Shaw Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Billy Crudup, and Guy Pearce. "Prometheus" is a prequel to "Alien," the 1979 science fiction movie starring Sigourney Weaver.

BREAKING NEWS! Alien: Covenant has a NEW release date and the official poster has been revealed! #AlienCovenant https://t.co/ANpzhKgVbl

— Alien: Covenant (@PrometheusFilms) November 23, 2016

In Ridley Scott film "Alien: Covenant," the Alien refers to a species of dangerous extra-terrestrial creatures which inhabit a planet. The original "Alien" movie had the space barge Nostromo responding to a beacon which they believed to be a call for help. It turns out that it was a warning beacon for others not to get near the planet.

The prequels to "Alien" narrate or try to explain why there was a beacon in the first place. Since the original movie, others have followed, including "Aliens" in 1986, "Alien 3" in 1992, "Alien: Resurrection" in 1997, and "Prometheus" in 2012.

Besides the "Alien" movie franchise, there has also been a crossover franchise with the "Predator" movies. "Alien vs. Predator" was released in 2004, while "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" (2007) was shown in 2007. The "Alien vs. Predator" series of movies was based on a story where the Earth was a gladiatorial battlefield for Predators hunting the xenomorph aliens. The movies did not use the storyline from the "Aliens" movie series, only the character.