"As a cinematic genre, science-fiction has a longer shelf life than most," says director/producer Sir Ridley Scott. The mastermind behind such classics as "Alien" (1979), "Blade Runner" (1982) and this year's "Prometheus" is referring to how aspects of a sci-fi film can morph from fiction into fact with time. He offers up the privatization of NASA as an example.
"Many films set in outer space have referred to corporations as villains," the 74-year-old says. "As moneymaking concerns become involved in space exploration and exploitation, there will be inevitable lapses in ethical practices."
"Prometheus" marks a return for Scott, whose films have included "Thelma & Louise" and "Gladiator," to the genre that made him famous, three decades after cult classic "Blade Runner" was released. The film — whose script was devised as a prequel to "Alien" and then expanded upon by writers Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof — is about a scientific mission to a distant star system in search of the origins of humankind.