Katherine Waterston Cast as Lead in ‘Alien’ Prequel

Inherent Vice star Katherine Waterston has landed a lead role in the forthcoming prequel of franchise Alien.

The up-and-coming actress, daughter of former Law & Order regular Sam Waterston, will be featured in Alien: Covenant in a yet-to-be revealed role.

Katherine Waterston Cast as the Lead in Alien: Covenant

The project reunites her with her Steve Jobs co-star Michael Fassbender, who also has a leading role, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sir Ridley Scott is back to direct the film, which serves as both a prequel to his 1979 classic Alien, and as a sequel to the 2012 prequel Prometheus.

The casting comes after a successful year for Waterson, who had a breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, and stars opposite Eddie Redmayne in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Alien: Covenant is the first in a series of three films, the final one of which will end around the time Alien begins. Once they have all screened, director Scott is confident fans will have no lingering doubts about the storyline.

“It’s a very complex story,” he explained during a press conference in Sydney, Australia. “It’s an evolution of what I first did with Prometheus 1.”

Alien: Covenant is slated to hit cinemas in October, 2017.

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