Neill Blomkamp Confirms ALIEN 5 Will Have Pulse Rifles

Remember, earlier this year, when Neill Blomkamp basically Instagrammed his way into directing an Alien sequel? That really happened, and is apparently still happening: after some back and forth over what Blomkamp's Alien movie would entail (first it was going to jettison the events of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection, then it wasn't; I'm honestly not sure where we left things on that front), things seem to be moving ahead on the project. 

Well, kind of. While a title or an official cast or a start date have yet to be revealed, Blomkamp regularly mentions the franchise on his Twitter feed (bonus: that header photo he's rocking), and earlier today he linked to an Instagram post showing off what appears to be a slightly-updated pulse rifle that will appear in the film. Check it out:

Caption attached to the photo reads: "We all knew there would be pulse rifles. Obviously. Now with added RIS." 

I'm told that "RIS" stands for "Rail Integration System", which Wikipedia tells me "(includes) tactical lights, laser aiming modules, forward hand grips for improving weapon handling, telescopic sights for medium-ranged or distant targets, and reflex sights/red-dot sights for short to medium-ranged targets, iron sight lines,bipods, and bayonets". So, pulse rifles with add-ons, basically. Whereas once Ripley was forced to duct-tape weapons together, now she'll be free to just bolt 'em on. This is surely a handy bit of functionality when being chased by a pack of Xenomorphs. 

For now, there's not much more to report on Blomkamp's Alien 5 (IMDb says the film expects to shoot in...2017?), but lord knows we'll be keeping an eye on developments as they occur. While we're waiting, here's a question: how do you guys feel about Blomkamp working in the Alien universe? Still feeling good about that now after the one-two punch of Chappie and Elysium, or not so much?