"Ridley's amazing, such a nice guy too, there's a real energy and youth to him. A lot of these directors have a wicked sense of humour. David Cronenberg was the same. He spent all the time taking the piss.

Ridley is great. He's just so precise and fun and mischievous and just full of interesting and quirky ideas for the character. They come to you in passing but then he lets you run with it and there's a lot of freedom there. I was really just enjoying it and everything in general, the whole crew is so veteran and talented from all departments down, the camera, wardrobe, makeup, props, the works — you've got the cream of the crop and it's an honor just to be allowed to be part of it.

While Alien was indeed the jumping-off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place.

The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak, but the issues tackled are unique, large and provocative.

I walk on the set and I feel like I'm walking on a spaceship. It's breathtaking. All the various panels and screens... it's just dealing with a top-notch art department and carpenters and the riggers and everything that goes into putting that together. It's just, well, breathtaking, all of it.