October 13, 2010 18:04

'Alien' prequel script gets green light

20th Century Fox said to be 'delighted' with the treatment

20th Century Fox are said to be delighted with the script for the Alien prequel delivered by Lost screenwriter Damon Lindelof. It is reported that it will now probably cost less to make than director Ridley Scott’s estimate of £94.6m.

Natalie Portman has been in talks with Scott over the lead role of a "female colonial marine general".

A studio insider told Nymag.com: “The thinking is that if the original Alien were released today, minus the F-bombs, you could still get a PG-13."

They continued: "Alien is a very Jaws-ian movie: There’s no sex and, while there’s lots of violence, most of it is off-camera. Maybe you’d have to cut away from certain scenes two seconds earlier, but it could be done.”