Here is some very surprising news. Director Ridley Scott has revealed that the title of Prometheus 2 is actually Alien: Paradise Lost. This firmly ties the sequel into the Alien franchise. This news follows previous details from the director, who revealed that a number of sequels are in the works. Though the title is very clearly marking Prometheus 2 as a chapter in the Alien saga, it won't connect to the original 1979 Alien until Prometheus 3 or 4. But it seems the whole Prometheus concept is being tossed out the window. This is what Ridley Scott told HeyUGuys about the title.

"Actually, it's going to be called Alien: Paradise Lost, so Prometheus 2 isn't what it's really going to be. You know the poem? I doubt you've ever been through it, have you? The poem's a book, Paradise Lost! It sounds intellectual, but there's a similarity to it, and that's where it stops."

Paradise Lost is an epic poem by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man. It explores the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men". Which seems to be the connection that Ridley Scott is making with Alien: Paradise Lost.

The title itself raises some very serious questions. What does this mean for the whole Alien franchise? Director Neill Blomkamp is in pre-production on what has become known as Alien 5. We heard it was being delayed because of Prometheus 2, and now we may have a better understanding of why. So, in truth, Alien 5 may not be that at all. In previous interviews Ridley Scott claimed that Prometheus 2 would not have the classic Xenomorph alien. Instead, it will feature a new type of alien creature. The filmmaker stated that the "baby alien" in the original Prometheus was "very close" to the creature from his original Alien movie, adding that this extraterrestrial in the sequel will be much different.

Prometheus 2 never quite made sense as the title of the sequel. It is the name of the ship that gets destroyed in the first movie. A completely different title was expected. But Alien: Paradise Lost would have not been anyone's first guess. The sequel will be Ridley Scott's next movie, with production slated to begin in January of 2016. Ridley Scott revealed in an interview with the German site FilmFutter.com that he is developing at least 3 sequels. And it won't be until the last one that a connection between Alien is made, which is far off into the future. He explains.

"[There will be a connection], but it won't be in the next one. It will be in the one after this one or maybe even a fourth film before we get back into the Alien franchise. The whole point of it is to explain the Alien franchise and to explain the how and why of the creation of the Alien itself. I always thought of the Alien as kind of a piece of bacterial warfare. I always thought that that original ship, which I call the Croissant, was a battleship, holding these biomechanoid creatures that were all about destruction."

Jack Paglen (Transcendence) and Michael Green (Untitled Blade Runner Project) are writing the screenplay for Prometheus 2. Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are confirmed to come back as Elizabeth Shaw and the android David. Though 20th Century Fox is also in the early stages of production on Alien 5, it isn't known when that project may see the light of day. Prometheus 2 will hit theaters in 2017, while it's expected that Alien 5 will get a 2018 release date. What do you think of this new title?