One of the well-known mysteries in science fiction film lore is the so-called "space jockey" and its mother ship from the 1979 film Alien. What was the true nature of the creature, how did it die, and what was the purpose of the ship and its cargo?
News that an alien prequel movie is on the cards means there is now the prospect of at least some of those mysteries being resolved - an exploration that Ridley Scott himself has previously suggested would be worth undertaking.
News of the prequel is coming from Variety, which says that a writer has been hired. The story also says Ridley Scott is "attached" to the film as director, though we've yet to see official quotes from the director about this.
Whatever form the film takes, one major difference from the subsequent films is expected to be the absence of Sigourney Weaver. Her character Ripley's introduction to the alien only occurs after the crew of the ship Nostromo comes into contact with the creature after picking up a radio signal from the alien ship in the first movie, as depicted in this scene: