The New 'Alien: Covenant' Photo Is Very Telling

It's been 37 years since 1979's Alien scared us with an alien baby, and four years since 2012's Prometheus brought us to the planet the alien may have came from. Now it's finally time to gear up for the next installment in the Alien anthology, Alien: Covenant. The third film — also being directed by Ridley Scott — isn't set to hit theaters until August 4, 2017, but the official Twitter for the film series was sure to share a behind-the-scenes photo from Alien: Covenant on Tuesday just to get fans excited. And I've got to say that their little ploy worked.

While the photo in and of itself may not reveal much, it came with the caption, "Mission Briefing #AlienCovenant," and shows Scott directing one of the Anthology's latest cast members, Danny McBride (whose exact role remains undetermined). However, with the photo now at fans' fingertips, this calls for all kinds of speculation. The rumors around the plot of Alien: Covenant are just too strong to ignore.

First of all, going off of what we do know about the plot of the film, Alien: Covenant is set to take place at least 10 years after where Prometheus left off. While surviving characters, David (played by Michael Fassbender) and Elizabeth Shaw (played by Noomi Rapace) are set to return, they're also being joined by other crew members for their next mission. These unknown new characters are being played by Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterson, and Danny McBride (who is seen in the latest photo). The plot — as described by 20th Century Fox — follows, "the crew of the colony ship Covenant" as they discover "what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the 'synthetic' David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition." Yeah, things already sound weird, despite how seemingly normal this new photo may seem.

I'm thinking that this photo is just the beginning. Not only is this an image that is odd to see McBride in in the first place — since the comedy actor is best-known for his roles on television or behind the voiceover mic — but it's also a revealing look into just who may be in charge in this film. For one, this photo could be revealing that McBride's character is the Captain of the ship. Or, in reference to Scott directing him, it could be alluding to a scene that requires a certain level of panic or emotion when it comes to driving the ship. Basically, I highly doubt that this film is going to involve any smooth sailing, even if the technology of the future is already advanced by 10 years by now.

And how will all of this tie into the plot-lines of Alien and Prometheus? As of right now, it's hard to really tell, but, considering how badly the Prometheus mission went, perhaps this is the one that really meshes our world with the aliens' world. I'm already at the edge of my seat just thinking about how intense this is going to get. The possibilities are endless.

Images: 20th Century Fox