Ridley Scott says there will probably be at least four 'Prometheus' movies

The sequel to Prometheus hasn't even begun production yet, but director Ridley Scott is already planning at least four installments.

Image courtesy of Famous/ACE/INFphoto.comWhen recently asked if Prometheus would connect to the original Alien, he said that it wouldn't...at least, not yet.

“It won’t be in the next one,” he said. “It will be in the one after this one or maybe even a fourth film before we get back into the Alien franchise."

This is the first we're hearing that Scott has plans for such a massive franchise, but it looks like we'll be seeing plenty more of it alongside the new Alien movies. One obvious question is, does Ridley Scott plan to direct all these movies? He's 77 now, and given the length of time between the first two Prometheus films, he'd be in his 90s by the time the franchise makes it to part four. It seems likely that he would pass off directorial duties to someone else if it really goes on this long, perhaps serving as executive producer.

It also wasn't really clear if Prometheus would ever directly connect to Alien or if it would just serve as its own separate series in the same universe, but it sounds like there will be a very direct crossover down the road.

For now, fans can look forward to Prometheus 2, which is scheduled to go into production early next year. No release date has been announced, but if Scott sticks to that timeframe, we can probably expect the movie sometime in 2017.