'Alien: Covenant' Release Date, News: 'Last Supper' Prologue Features Character Relationships; James Franco's Character to Die?

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 28, 2017

With the premiere of "Alien: Covenant" slowly nearing, 20th Century Fox has been rolling out marketing materials left and right in preparation for it. Most recently, the studio released a new photo and a prologue clip titled "Last Supper."

The photo was exclusively published by Empire and features crew members of the colonization ship, Covenant, making a stop at a new planet in order to respond to a distress call. The Covenant is actually in the middle of a trip to a different planet to colonize. However, they will soon find that their decision to answer the call was a bad one as they encounter the horrors that lie ahead.

20th Century Fox also released a nearly five-minute prologue clip that features the crew members of the Covenant. More upbeat and lively than the official trailer, the clip confirms James Franco's role in the movie.

It starts off with Katherine Waterston's Daniels getting a check-up from Michael Fassbender's Walter, a more advanced android than David. It then transitions to Franco's character, the captain, having a conversation with Tennessee (Danny McBride), the ship's pilot. Franco, however, is sick and unable to stay long. He retreats to rest for a bit while the other crew members break out into a party with drinks and games before their celebration is interrupted by one of them choking on her drink. Walter is able to literally slap her out of it.

This prologue takes place right before the crew members of the Covenant go into cryosleep as they journey to their destination. It also gives fans an opportunity to get to know the characters and their dynamic before the film's actual release. As the description points out, the crew is comprised of couples since their mission is to colonize a new planet.

Some fans have pointed out that Franco's character will die early in the film since Waterston refers to Billy Crudup's character as captain in the official trailer. However, it remains to be seen how Franco will bite the dust.

"Alien: Covenant" will premiere on May 19, 2017.