Why have an Alien prequel anyway

Rumours abound that a prequel to Alien is in the works. Why? Unless, of course, this is going to be a Ripley-less Alien. Is this film going to be about how the aliens destroyed the colony that Ripley and her pals discovered in that landmark 1979 film? At first blush, that excites me less than another chapter of Aliens vs. Predator.

Of course, everything is still up in the air. According to all these rumors, Ridley Scott, who directed the original, plans to produce this one, but not direct it. He wants his daughter's boyfriend, Carl Rinsch, best known for his futuristic TV commercials, to direct. But, from what I'm hearing, Fox, which owns the Alien franchise, is going to refuse to give its approval unless Scott directs.

More to come, I'm sure.