Check out the new Poster for Alien: Covenant

A while back, we interviewed Swiss documentarian Belinda Salin on her film Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World. Giger is perhaps most famous in the United States as the man who helped Ridley Scott create the terrifying xenomorph from Alien, arguably one of the most famous movie monsters of all time. Ridley Scott was shown Giger’s “Necronomicon,” a book of Giger images that led to Scott giving him the job as a conceptual artist for the film. The rest is movie history.  

Now 20th Century Fox has released the new poster for Scott’s Alien: Covenant, which suggests that Scott is returning the franchise back to its original, Giger-inspired horror roots.

The poster also turns the angel-and-demon motifs often explored in Renaissance-era paintings on its head. As Slashfilm pointed out, there are hints of Frans Floris' “The Fall of The Rebellious Angels” in the poster, which depicts the archangel Michael, the patron saint of the Fencers' guild, fighting the dragon with seven heads, as well as the devils.

Considering Covenant has a big, alluring ensemble cast, and not a one of them are featured on the poster is telling. Instead, Fox chose to go with this dark, richly symbolic piece of art that puts the struggle of the film’s protagonists against their xenomorph tormentors in biblical terms. Scott’s 2012 Prometheus wasn’t quite the return to Alien form fans were hoping for, but there’s every indication he’s onto something with Covenant, with the recent trailers and featurettes delivering genuine thrills.

Alien: Covenant premieres in theaters May 19, 2017.

Featured image: New poster provided by 20th Century Fox.