Though Ridley Scott didn’t show up in person for the much-anticipated Comic-Con panel on ‘Prometheus,’ Fox execs kindly provided footage, revealed the first photo from the set (see above) and sent screenwriter Damon Lindelof and co-star Charlize Theron to San Diego to talk about the production.

During the panel, a satellite video feed popped up and Lindelof chatted with Scott and co-star Noomi Rapace (they’re shooting the opening of the film in Iceland).

‘Prometheus’ has been a buzz film ever since it was announced as a prequel to the ‘Alien’ franchise, and rumor and speculation have surrounded the production ever since. When Lindelof was brought in to rewrite the original script, the film supposedly changed course and was touted as a stand-alone sci-fier, though there would be more than a passing nod to ‘Alien.’

At the panel, Theron talked about her role in ‘Prometheus,’ saying that she plays a “suit” named Vickers who’s in charge of the central mission of the film — “a machine in charge of the machine.” Ummm.

Scott wasn’t any less cryptic when talking about the film. Since robots, cyborgs and replicants are apart and parcel of modern sci-fi cinema (thanks to ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner,’ of course), Scott let it out that “there may be two” in the film, and mentioned that they were doing something fresh with them this time around.

He also went on to delineate a connection between ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien,’ saying that an unexplored concept from the original films would be examined here and that the connection between ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien’ would be revealed in the last few minutes of the film.

So looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out more about this one. ‘Prometheus’ stars Rapace, Theron, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie and Rafe Spall and will be released on June 8, 2012.

Here’s Fox’s official line on the film:

Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery.

[Via SlashFilm]