Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien: Covenant’ will get a separate virtual reality experience

Ridley Scott is, virtually, at it again.

The veteran director — whose “The Martian� was turned into an elaborate piece of virtual reality by Fox — will see his new movie “Alien: Covenant� also given the VR treatment.

The studio announced Tuesday that it is creating the science-fiction piece, enlisting visual-effects specialist David Karlak to direct and with Scott serve as executive producer.‎ The “Alien: Covenant� experience is being made under the auspices of Fox Innovation Lab, the on-the-lot department devoted to virtual reality.

“The VR Experience for ‘Alien: Covenant’ is a dread-inducing journey into the depths of the Alien universe,� said the Fox statement announcing the project. “Viewers will discover the true meaning of terror as they navigate through horrifying alien environments and a story where every decision could mean the difference between life and death.�

A studio spokesman confirmed the piece will be available on all tethered platforms: the high-end Oculus Rift, Sony PlayStationVR and HTC Vive. (Those VR-dedicated venues differ from Samsung’s Gear VR and other phone-based varietals.)

Starring Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston, “Alien Covenant� marks the latest film in the “Alien� franchise (and serves as a sequel of sorts to 2012’s “Prometheus�). A new trailer offers some clues to the May release, in which the Covenant spacecraft comes upon a dangerous world on a mission to a distant part of the galaxy.

“The Martian VR Experience� was a roughly 20-minute piece that blended light first-person interactivity with scenes related to the movie. Directed by Robert ‎Stromberg, it marked both a major foray for studios into standalone VR as well as an attempt to build a business around that content; unlike many studio experiences, which function primarily as a free marketing tool for the movie, “Martian VR� was sold separately after the release. “Alien: Covenant� also will be available for purchase, the studio said.

With its vast (other)worlds‎ and dedicated fan bases, Scott’s recent work lends itself to VR. Fox is hoping “Alien: Covenant,� which taps into the “Alien� series’ fervent online following, will play into that digital interest.

Still, VR as a separate vein of content — particularly as a paid business — is a fallow and unproven area. It remains to be seen whether the close connection to a big movie brand becomes a selling point to consumers or creates a feeling of redundancy.

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