Should Lost's Damon Lindelof Rewrite the Alien Prequel?

When he isn't part of the cacophony of voices debating the ending of Inception, Damon Lindelof is a busy Hollywood screenwriter. The former Lost executive producer had already lined up two major co-writing jobs while his series was still on the air -- Star Trek 2 and Cowboys & Aliens with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci -- but now it appears that he might have found his own solo venture: the Alien prequel. Maybe.

Deadline reports that Lindelof has met with Twentieth Century Fox and director Ridley Scott to talk about rewriting the prequel script previously handed in by Jon Spaihts, but in a John-Locke-isn't-John-Locke-like twist, "the exchange of ideas between them sparked a take that could well turn out to be a free-standing science fiction film."

So what should Damon choose? Let's investigate.

The Alien Prequel

For It: It would allow him to put his own stamp on one of the most iconic science-fiction series ever produced, while simultaneously making sure it was handled better than the Star Wars prequels. And we all know what Lindelof thinks of those.

Against It: It's an Alien-prequel, meaning by definition, fanboys will have their knives out. It also comes with the added baggage of Ridley Scott, a director who has attached himself to approximately 32 projects in the last year. When will this prequel get released? 2017?

The Original Idea

For It: It's an original! And if Lindelof does it right, he could create his own franchise -- and not have to piggyback on Alien with an inevitable group of co-writers.

Against It: If it stinks, he'll just confirm what many Lost haters already think: That he's a hack masquerading as a pompous genius.

Final Verdict: When in doubt, go original. Just don't include a part for Allison Janney.

· Is 'Lost's' Lindelof Boarding 'Alien'? [Deadline]