Prometheus

Prometheus

The Oscar winner will portray Meredith Vickers, the corporate head of the Weyland-Yutani company in Scott's science fiction blockbuster. The project began life as a prequel to Scott's '70s classic Alien.

Speaking at Comic-Con, Theron revealed that she was only cast in Prometheus after Mad Max: Fury Road was delayed.

"You can ask any actor this - there's always that one director that's their dream. Ridley was that for me," she said.

"I used to always joke when I had bad experiences with a first-time director, I used to turn to my producing partner and say, 'I want to f**king work with Ridley Scott. I'm so tired of this s**t. I want to be around someone who knows what they're doing and takes control.' He was always that guy that I always sort of fantasised [about]."

Discussing her character Vickers, Theron said she was "different from anything [she's] done".

"She's a suit, essentially. She's kind of the machine that runs the machine, that takes this mission into space," Theron explained.

"At first, she comes across like a suit, very cold and frigid, it seems that it's all about the economics for her - she doesn't really come from one side or the other, she's not a scientist or a believer. She runs a tight ship. But you can tell that she's going to be a problem."

Prometheus, co-starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce, will open in cinemas in June 2012.