Ridley Scott will not make his highly anticipated return to the Alien franchise, but will instead direct an original sci-fi film titled "Prometheus," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Starring Noomi Rapace ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"), the film is set for a March 9, 2012 release from Fox.

Damon Lindelof ("Lost") is penning the script based on an idea from Scott and an initial draft by Jon Spaihts. With the latest draft, Lindelof has morphed the scope of the project into an ambitious direction.

“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,” said Scott in a statement. “The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative.

"I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart.”

"In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots,” Lindelof said. “I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley's vision was for this movie. It's daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects.”

Scott had been molding an "Alien" prequel for the last two years and had begun looking at actors for the project last summer. Some of the stars considered for the prequel include Charlize Theron, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Arteron, Michael Fassbender and James Franco.