James Cameron may not have been associated with the Alien series from the start, but for many his 1986 sequel Aliens is every bit as good as the original movie. The director has now spoken about his opinion of the franchise as a whole--and he's not a big fan.

　　In an interview with Vulture, Cameron explained that while those first two movies worked, the series had since become something of a mess. "The franchise has kind of wandered all over the map,"he said. "Ridley [Scott] did the first film, and he inspired an entire generation of filmmakers and science-fiction fans with that one movie and there have been so many films that stylistically have derived from it, including my own Aliens, which was the legitimate sequel and, I think, the proper heir to his film.

　　"I sort of did it as a fanboy. I wanted to honor his film, but also say what I needed to say. After that, I don't take any responsibility. I don't think it's worked out terribly well. I think we've moved on beyond it."

　　Nevertheless, Cameron went on to state that he was cautiously optimistic about Scott's upcoming Alien: Covenant. "Is there any validity to doing another one now? I don't know," he said. "Maybe. Let's see, jury's out. Let's see what Ridley comes up with.

　　"Let me just add to that--and don't cut this part off, please--I will stand in line for any Ridley Scott movie, even a not-so-great one, because he is such an artist, he's such a filmmaker. I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own franchise would be fascinating."

　　Alien: Covenant hits theaters in May. The first trailer was released in December--check it out here.

　　In related news, it was reported last week that the other Alien sequel currently in development--Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5--was unlikely to happen. The director was asked about the chances of it going into production, and he admitted they were "slim."