Fede Alvarez, the Frenchman Sébastien Vanicek, or Ridley Scott himself? Who will direct the next Alien film?

A recap of the facts: • Fede Alvarez was in pre-production on this new installment when he suddenly left the project last September. • Cailee Spaeny, as Rain Carradine, and David Jonsson, as Andy, were both expected to return for this sequel, which Alvarez had been writing with his co-writer Rodo Sayagues since the release of the first film. • That same month, Alvarez confirmed that the script was finished and that he would "pass the torch" to another director, while remaining a producer alongside Ridley Scott. • A week later, he added that he thought he had never been destined to direct this sequel to Romulus. Since then, no real news had surfaced until the recently published report… Does Ridley Scott want to return to the Alien saga? According to these new reports, Frenchman Sébastien Vanicek, director of Evil Dead Burn and Vermin, his first film, was recently approached to direct the film, but the discussions reportedly fell through. For now, no one seems attached to the directing job. Another rumor circulated last year that Alvarez wanted to use the character of David, played by Michael Fassbender, which Ridley Scott supposedly refused. The director of the first Alien even hinted that he might want to return to the saga and reprise this character he himself created. However, this information has never been confirmed. Nevertheless, for such a highly anticipated project, this prolonged uncertainty is not very reassuring. Especially since Alien: Romulus's main strength lay in its direction, far more than its script. Suffice it to say, this sequel will need to quickly get back on track if it wants to avoid seeming like a bad idea before it's even really begun.