Ridley Scott’s Prometheus gained mixed notices when it arrived earlier this year, with many praising its sumptuous visuals, but bemoaning its muddled storyline and characterisation. As we’ve digested the strange mix of mythology, fantasy and sci-fi the movie offered, it’s gradually become clear that quite a bit was snipped out in the final edit – something Scott himself has admitted in subsequent interviews.
Now, a list of the deleted scenes, which will all feature on the Prometheus home release due out in October, provide some tantalising clues as to what was missed out. They were unearthed by Bleeding Cool, and their titles make for interesting reading for anyone looking for a bit more coherence in Scott’s return to the Alien universe. Here they are, with durations (in minutes and seconds) plus a bit of our (inevitably spoiler-filled, if you haven't yet seen Prometheus) conjecture mixed in:
Arrival Of The Engineers (02:31)
This title suggests that an alternate version of the opening scene will appear on the disc. In The Art Of Prometheus book, production stills depict a different sequence, in which the sacrificial Engineer is joined by a shaman-like figure wearing a cloak – further hinting that what takes place is some sort of religious ritual.
Tis The Season (00.58)
We’re guessing this is a brief dialogue scene involving Janek (Idris Elba) and his Christmas tree, or other members of the Prometheus crew chatting about the festive season.
Our First Alien (00:42)
Another brief scene, this one was probably snipped out of Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and her crew’s first encounter with long-dead alien life on the planet LV-223.
We’re Not Alone Anymore (01:22)
This could take the form of a simple discussion back on the Prometheus about the import of what the crew’s just discovered. Or does it hint at something more ominous?
Skin (00:42)
An ominous title, this one. Is it a deleted scene showing Holloway’s gradual consumption by alien DNA?
Strange Bedfellows (02:57)
This title, quoting Shakespeare’s The Tempest (“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows”) might be an allusion to the hapless Millburn and Fifield, who become lost in one of LV-223’s mysterious alien buildings, and are forced to stay there overnight while a storm rages outside.
Holloway Hungover (01:25)
Given that Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) was one of the least sympathetic characters in the whole film, we’re not particularly looking forward to seeing around 90 seconds of him stumbling around and moaning about a headache. But then again, is this an extended version of the scene in which something weird wriggles out of his eye (something he doesn’t bother to tell the rest of the crew about)?
David’s Objective (00:23)
This could be an interesting scene, in spite of its brevity. We know that David (Michael Fassbender) was able to communicate with the doddering Peter Weyland, who’s frozen and hidden away on the ship. Will this sequence better explain David’s motivations for infecting Holloway?
Janek Fills Vickers In (03:27)
We’re sure this sequence is far less rude than the title implies; presumably, it’s an extended conversation between Janek and Vickers (Charlize Theron) that didn’t make the final cut.
A King Has His Reign (03:40)
This title alludes to something Vickers says to the thawed-out Weyland (Guy Pearce). Is it an extended version of that scene?
Fifield Attacks (02:01)
This, presumably, is a lengthier version of the action sequence where a now infected Fifield attacks the crew of the Prometheus. We always wondered why we didn’t see several secondary cast members meet their deaths; evidently, their demises ended up on the cutting room floor.
The Engineer Speaks (04:06)
David’s conversation with the revived Engineer was extremely brief in the final cut, and it’s been said before that a much longer version once existed – and look, it’s four minutes long. What do the pair chat about? Will the deleted scene be subtitled, or will they be removed, thus rendering the conversation incomprehensible, as Scott decided to do in the theatrical cut?
Final Battle (05:30)
This, we’re guessing, is an extended version of Shaw’s final encounter with the angry engineer. In the Art Of Prometheus book, we see her fighting the hulking alien with a fire-axe, something Scott later took out because he thought it took some of the mysterious sheen off these pale-skinned humanoids. What we didn’t realise, though, was how long this sequence would turn out to be – at more than five minutes, it’s almost the equivalent of Ripley’s fight with the Queen at the end of Aliens.
Paradise (05:05)
For us, this is the most intriguing deleted scene of the lot. Scott has said that Shaw flies off to find the Engineers’ true home planet (LV-223, it turns out, is essentially a military base), which the director has previously dubbed Paradise. (Paradise was even the film’s title for a while.) This scene, then, probably comes after Shaw blasts away from the planet with Michael Fassbender’s head in a bowling bag.
It’s another lengthy scene, so what’s on this other planet? Why is it called Paradise? Do the Engineers all eat Bounty bars? Regrettably, we’ll have to wait until October to find out.
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