For the time being, you should consider this a rumor. According to Deadline Hollywood, Lost‘s Damon Lindelof is currently being tapped to make revisions to John Spaihts’ Alien screenplay.

In a development as vexing as a Lost plotline, studio insiders said that while Lindelof indeed met with Scott and the studio for that rewrite job, the exchange of ideas between them sparked a take that could well turn out to be a free-standing science fiction film. The studio will decide when Lindelof turns it in. Scott Free is producing and Lindelof’s CAA reps closed his deal last night.

According to director Ridley Scott, the untitled Alien prequel will show the origins of the Weyland-Yutani corporation and their interest in terraforming planets, as well as reveal the mystery behind the “space jockey” from the original Alien.

Scott hopes to have the film ready for theaters by late 2011, at the earliest.