Alien Day, part 2–Much more is coming this year for the film’s 40th anniversary

With the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s Alien in full swing, yesterday for Alien Day 2019 we only scratched the surface of what is coming your way this year by way of non-fiction and fiction offerings about the film and franchise. But before we get to previews, you’re not going to want to miss Alien returning to the theaters October 13, 15, and 16, 2019. Fathom Events is again partnering with TCM Big Screen Classics for this big event.

The biggest news from the publishing front arrives this fall. Titan Books is releasing Alien: 40 Years/40 Artists, an artistic tribute to the sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien. Forty artists, filmmakers, and fans have been invited to contribute a piece of original art to commemorate the 40th anniversary. Pieces range from alternative posters to gothic interpretations of key scenes. Sketches, process pieces, and interview text accompany each new and unique nightmare. In addition to cover artist Dane Hallett—an Alien: Covenant concept artist—the contributors include Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, Sam Hudecki, Tanya Lapointe, Star Wars concept artist and creature designer Terryl Whitlatch, Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Jon Wilcox.

Tim Waggoner, one of the best tie-in writers of fiction is back with Alien: Prototype, where we find corporate spy Tamar Prather stealing a Xenomorph egg from Weyland-Yutani, taking it to a lab facility run by Venture, a Weyland-Yutani competitor. Former Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks—now allied with the underground resistance—infiltrates Venture’s security team. When a human test subject is impregnated, the result is a Xenomorph that, unless it’s stopped, will kill every human being on the planet. You can pre-order Alien: Prototype now here at Amazon.

Three more new Alien books are in the works for this year. Below we have your first look at Alien: The Blueprints.

Alien: The Blueprints is a collection of brand new blueprints of all the major vehicles, ships and technology of the Alien movie universe. Artist Graham Langridge delves deep into the concept art, set designs and photography to recreate full and accurate blueprints of the drop ship, the Sulaco, the Nostromo and many more. Covering all the movies including Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, this is a must-have for any Alien fan. Pre-order Alien: The Blueprints now here at Amazon.

Alien Vault opens a portal into the making of the legendary film Alien, tracing its path from embryonic concept to fully fledged box office phenomenon. Previously published in 2011, the new edition includes an additional chapter tracing the path of Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien saga with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Epic Ink is publishing this edition. Pre-order it here now.

Finally, we’ve already previewed J.W. Rinzler′s new behind the scenes look at the original film, The Making of Alien. Check out the preview published earlier here at borg. To celebrate the movie’s fortieth anniversary, author J.W. Rinzler (The Making of Star Wars) tells the whole story of how Alien evolved from a simple idea in the mind of writer Dan O’Bannon into one of the most memorable sci-fi horror thrillers of all time. With new interviews with Ridley Scott and other key members of the original production crew, and featuring many never-before-seen photographs and artworks from the archives, The Making of Alien promises to be the definitive work on this masterpiece of popular cinema.

Here is a preview of the detailed artwork you’ll find in Alien: The Blueprints, courtesy of Titan Books: