If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Alien: Earth is just the beginning - Blade Runner and more Ridley Scott movies are getting the TV treatment

We've known about Blade Runner 2099 for a while now, but according to Scott Free CCO David W. Zucker, "a number of different" Ridley Scott movies are being eyed for the small screen

Would you watch a Gladiator TV show? It might not be long until you have the option to do just that. At least, that's what we gathered from what Scott Free CCO David W. Zucker had to say in a recent interview. Speaking just ahead of the imminent release of Alien: Earth and the year-off debut of Blade Runner 2099, Zucker said that the company was looking into several Ridley Scott movie properties with the intention of expanding them on TV.

The interview was with Variety and took place at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Zucker began by recounting how both the Alien and Blade Runner properties were, at one point, "pretty unapproachable" in terms of TV adaptation "because of their ambition and what that would require financially."

"And I mean," said Zucker, "Personally, I find those two titles extremely intimidating … touching any piece of that kind of iconic status."

So what led Zucker and Scott free to "touch those pieces" (sounds weird when I say it like that, sorry)? Well, it wasn't just showrunner Noah Hawley, who adapted corrnerstone crime film Fargo into a series before wading into Weyland-Yutani territory with Alien: Earth. According to Zucker, both that series and Blade Runner 2099, the upcoming follow-up to Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, exist because the company found a reason to tell those stories.

And that, he says, will be the prime directive of turning Ridley Scott properties into TV from now on.

""we are looking at a number of different [Ridley and Tony Scott movie titles] right now," Zucker says, "And the point of entry is really: 'What is its reason to be?' because while it’s certainly [the case that] IP is ruling the day, and those titles all have different potential values and degrees of familiarity, it still comes down to what’s the foundational premise and concept for a piece that really merits it being brought forward now."

So we should note here that, before you click play on that potential Gladiator TV show of the future, someone at Scott Free is going to have to come up with a legitimate reason for the story to continue in that format. Whether or not "more shirtless Romans" counts as a good enough reason is anyone's guess.

Alien: Earth comes to FX August 12.


If you love aliens bursting out of chests and hugging your face, then we have all you could want from  Popverse's Alien watch order, details on where Romulus fits into the Alien timeline, and all you need to know  on the upcoming Aliens TV show with Timothy Oliphant.

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

Comments

Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.

View Comments (0)

Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy