"I'm amused if somebody says something cleverly negative about it," said Damon Lindelof earlier this year, referring to the online flak he was getting about Prometheus... and that was the most positive thing he could think of. Ridley Scott took his share of the backlash, but much of the Prometheus opprobrium was aimed squarely at its second screenwriter. Perhaps with that in the back of his mind, Lindelof has now revealed to Collider that he's definitely not involved with further Prometheuses (Promethei?), although the official line is simply that he's too busy elsewhere.

"Ridley and I talked at great length during the story process of the first movie about what subsequent movies could be," says Lindelof, "and we had a meeting after Prometheus came out where we started talking again about where this journey would go. But there was a reaction to the movie, and I got really wrapped up in Trek, and another movie I'm writing and producing with Brad Bird [1952], and a TV project... [So] in that meeting I communicated to him that I was working on other things. It was sort of like having a date where you're letting the other person know you're in another relationship!"

Even though his Prometheus gig was a re-write of an existing screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Lindelof says, all in, it still took a year of his life. "Building a sequel to it - from the ground up this time - with Ridley is tremendously exciting," he continues, "but at the same time I was like, well this is probably going to be two years. I can't do what JJ [Abrams] does. I can only be working on one thing at a time. So I told Ridley, and he was like, 'Well OK. It's not like I asked you anyways!' So much to the delight of all fanboys, I don't see myself being involved with Prometheus-er."

You read that title here first! Now forget it again. Head over to Collider for Steve's full Lindelof interview, and for Jon Spaihts' take on the original material, check out Empire's own feature. The Prometheus sequel is, as yet, some considerable way off, and is awaiting a writer to explain... all the things. Send your application forms and synopses to sirridders@fox.com.