MICHAEL FASSBENDER IN “ALIEN: COVENANT”
Press release
“Alien:Covenant” opens in cinemas nationwide on
May 10 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. (will also be available in IMAX screens)
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
ABOARD PERILOUS JOURNEY IN “ALIEN: COVENANT”
Ridley Scott’s
original “Alien” remains a standard bearer for the horror genre that morphed
into a blockbuster iconic franchise among horror and sci-fi fans. In Scott’s latest “Alien: Covenant” to hit
Philippine cinemas this May 10, the Oscar®-nominated filmmaker sought to
recapture the same foreboding atmosphere of constant danger and dread while
also offering new insights that would add richness and depth to the larger
Alien mythology.
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox |
The film opens
with a peaceful mission designed to take humanity beyond the confines of Earth
into a settlement among the stars. On the manifest of the spaceship Covenant
are couples who will populate the planet Origae-6, along with dozens of embryos
to help establish the new colony. Charged with their protection is the ship’s
crew: Captain Jacob (James Franco) and his wife, Daniels, head of terraforming
operations (Katherine Waterston); second-in-command Christopher Oram (Billy
Crudup) and his biologist wife Karine (Carmen Ejogo); boisterous pilots
Tennessee (Danny McBride) and Faris (Amy Seimetz); head of security Sergeant
Lope (Demián Bichir) and his second-in-command and husband Sergeant Hallett
(Nathaniel Dean). With them is one non-human, Walter (Michael Fassbender), the
Covenant’s loyal synthetic, keeping watch as the passengers remain locked away
in cryosleep until they reach their destination.
All is quiet
aboard the spaceship Covenant. The crew and the rest of the 2,000 souls aboard
the pioneering vessel are deep in hyper-sleep, leaving the synthetic Walter to
walk the corridors alone. The ship is en route to the remote planet Origae-6,
where, on the far side of the galaxy, the settlers hope to establish a new
outpost for humanity. The tranquility is shattered when a nearby stellar
ignition shreds Covenant’s energy-collection sails, resulting in dozens of
casualties and throwing the mission off course.
Walter, who no
doubt look familiar to audiences. He’s the next evolution of David, the
Laurence of Arabia-obsessed synthetic Fassbender portrayed in
“Prometheus.” Although he is
technologically superior to his predecessor, his emotional range is somewhat
restricted. He cannot fall in love, and he has been programmed to be unfailingly
loyal to the Covenant crew—Fassbender describes him as a “super butler.”
“He is first and
foremost there to protect and to serve, like a good police officer,” the actor
says. “He’s purely logical and devoid of
emotion, even if those around him, particularly Daniels, search for some sort
of emotional connectivity with him, it’s not really there.”
Fassbender
continues to be in awe of the movie’s production, “I felt like I was on a
functional spaceship,” Fassbender says. “The corridors, the bridge and the sleep
chamber—all these production design elements were so detailed and
sophisticated. It’s a rare thing with fantasy films or high-concept action
films. We used some green screen, but a lot of it was there for us to explore,
to touch and to interact with and that’s a real rarity these days.”
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