Acclaimed film director Ridley Scott has partnered with video entertainment network Machinima to produce 12 short science fiction films. Scott will serve as executive producer, while directors will be tapped from his commercial production company RSA. Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, Kathryn Bigelow and Neill Blomkamp are on the list of possible directors. Gaming and streaming site Machinima reaches 262 million unique viewers.

“The idea is that at least some of these short films will lead to new sci-fi franchises, with both RSA and Machinima reaping the rewards,” reports Mashable.

“RSA has always been at the forefront of creating innovative work,” said Scott in a statement. “With new media transforming the way audiences connect with films and filmmakers, Machinima is a great partner for us as we embark on this new model of delivering original content to fans. It’s a tremendous opportunity for pushing the creative boundaries for both our filmmakers and the audience.”

Scott returned to science fiction last year with “Prometheus,” which grossed about $400 million worldwide.

“By combining this unique incubation model together with our powerful partnership of established creative talent and scaled distribution to millions on Machinima, we believe new sci-fi franchises will be born,” said Allen DeBevoise, Machinima’s chairman and chief exec.

Mashable lists Machinima’s number of unique viewers at 210 million, while the Los Angeles Times reports 262 million. The company, which has the top entertainment channel on YouTube, reports 1.9 billion video views for February.

According to the Machinima site, the word ‘machinima’ is a loose hybrid of “machine” and “cinema,” which “refers to the process of creating real-time animation by manipulating a video game’s engine and assets.”