‘Alien: Covenant’ Described as a “Dark Horror Movie”, Funnyman Danny McBride Assures Fans of Serious Story

‘Alien: Covenant’, otherwise known as ‘Prometheus 2’, will feature actor Danny McBride in a yet unnamed role. McBride, known for his work on numerous comedy films, assured fans that the film will be a “dark horror movie” and that he will not take on the role of a comic relief.

According to Bloody Disgusting, the news of McBride’s casting for Ridley Scott’s sequel to 2012’s ‘Prometheus’ was received with skepticism. The actor 39-year old actor and screenwriter is best known for his comedic chops after starring in films such as ‘Pineapple Express’, ‘Tropic Thunder’, ‘Land of the Lost’, ‘Your Highness’, and ‘This Is The End’.

It came as a surprise that an actor famous for comedy would be involved in a serious science-fiction flick. McBride addressed these concerns during an interview with HitFix saying he was just as shocked as fans for his casting.

He said, “It’s like when they asked me to come in and meet them, I didn’t even know what movie it was for.  I was like, ‘Yeah. I would like to meet Ridley Scott’. And he starts talking to me about – he starts showing me these diagrams of a spaceship and I was just thinking like – as he’s talking – I’m like, “Jesus. This is f*cking Alien he’s talking to me about?’”

McBride added, “And then my next thought was, ‘Why would he be interested in me in this? Am I just going to be like this silly, you know, just the comic relief in this?’” And then I got the script and I’m like this sh*t is dark. There is no comic relief in this at all. This is a dark horror movie. And that was exciting – to be able to step into something like that and participate in a way that’s not relying on things I’ve had to do before.”

Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender will be reprising their roles as Elizabeth Shaw and David, respectively. Joining McBride in the new cast are Katherine Waterston, Uli Latukefu, Billy Crudup, Carmen Egojo, Demian Bichir, and Jussie Smollett among others.

‘Alien: Covenant’ is an upcoming science-fiction and horror film directed by Ridley Scott. It is written by Michael Green and Jack Paglen. It is produced by Scott, David Giler, Walter Hill, Mark Huffam, and Michael Schaefer.

The film is scheduled to premiere on August 4, 2017 and is intended as the sequel to 2012’s ‘Prometheus’. The preceding film was considered a critical and financial success, earning  $403.35 million against a production budget of $130 million.