Los Angeles, Dec 21 (IANS): Actor James Franco will next star in "Alien: Covenant", which is a sequel to filmmaker Ridley Scotts 2012 science fiction film "Prometheus".
Franco joins Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce -- who are reprising their roles from "Prometheus", reports variety.com.
The film will also feature Katherine Waterston, Demian Bichir, Billy Crudup, and Danny McBride.
The film follows the colony ship Covenant as it heads toward a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy. Crew members discover what they believe to be an uncharted paradise, which turns out to be a dark, menacing world in which the only inhabitant is the synthetic David (Fassbender), a survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.
Directed by Scott, "Alien: Covenant" is slated to release on May 19, 2017 in US.
"Prometheus" was set in the late 21st century and about 30 years before the events in Scott's 1979 movie "Alien".