

The director Ridley Scott has revealed filming for the much anticipated sequel to his 2012 blockbuster Prometheus will take place in either Australia or Canada next February.

Promoting his new sci-fi film The Martian at the Toronto International film festival, Scott made the revelation when asked whether Michael Fassbender’s android character from the first film, David, would return.

“Fassbender will do this one [Prometheus 2] with me, and it’s meant to start production in February,” the director said in an interview with Deadline.

“I’m in prep now. I’ll either shoot in Aussie or here.”

Scott and his crew were spotted in Australia last May scouting filming locations. At the time it wasn’t clear if this was solely for his Blade Runner sequel.

The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw gave Prometheus three stars when it was released, calling the film “muddled, intricate, spectacular”. It was a box office success, earning $403m worldwide.

While the new film’s plot is so far unknown, Noomi Rapace will be joining Fassbender on set to reprise her starring role as archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw, and Scott has confirmed that the monster xenomorph will not be featured.

At The Martian premiere on 11 September, Toronto International film festival audiences cheered Scott’s latest venture into science fiction as a return to form, although a Guardian review was more sober in its response.

Adapted from the bestselling Andy Weir novel, the 3D space adventure stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars and will have a worldwide release on 30 September.