'Alien: Covenant' cast, plot, trailer: new image teases 1979 'Alien' time frame for the setting

Alien: Covenant - Weyland-Yutani logoFacebook via Alien

Ridley Scott is currently working on "Alien: Covenant," the follow-up to the 2012 film "Prometheus," which itself is a prequel to the 1979 movie "Alien." While there is no teaser trailer yet in sight, the official "Alien" Facebook page has released a teaser image for the movie which indicates "Alien: Covenant" is one step closer to the time frame of the 1979 original. 

"Prometheus" took place several decades before the events of "Alien" and this was portrayed with the fact that Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) was still alive during the film's events and because the company he owned was still known as Weyland Corporation.

However, as stated in a report from IGN, the image shown confirms that by "Alien: Covenant" the company has merged with its Japanese competitor, the Yutani Corporation, and they are now known together as Weyland-Yutani, often referred to as "The Corporation."

The design of the logo, bearing symbology often used for the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, is also reminiscent of the logo used in "Alien." The only difference is that in "Alien" the angels have been removed, making the logo smaller and rectangular in shape.

Fans speculate that this means "Alien: Covenant," which is set a decade after "Prometheus," may be taking place just a few years before the 1979 "Alien," slowly bridging the films together. It is possible that during this time the xenomorph alien seen in the older films will be revealed in "Covenant" and their origins and purpose may be explained.

According to IGN, there will be one more movie coming out after "Alien: Covenant" and this third movie may tie in directly to "Alien" by showcasing the full evolution of the xenomorph, the story on how The Corporation became obsessed with capturing xenomorphs and how the Engineer carrying xenomorph eggs crashed into LV-426.

"Alien: Covenant" will release in theaters on Aug. 4, 2017.