Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
TechRadar
TechRadar
Tom Power

'Alien: Earth' season 2: everything we know so far about the sci-fi horror show's return

Nibs, Slightly, Wendy, Curly, and Smee standing close together in Alien: Earth season 1 episode 8.
Alien: Earth season 2: key information

- Announced in mid-November
- Filming will begin sometime in 2026
- Unclear when it'll be released
- No trailer unveiled yet
- Main cast from season 1 expected to return
- Last season's finale teases where the story could go next
- Hawley has ideas about what season 2's plot will entail
- No word on how many seasons there could be

Alien: Earth season 2 is officially in development. The sci-fi horror franchise's first TV show was renewed for another outing in mid-November, so we can start counting down the days, months, and years to its return.

While we wait for Alien: Earth's next chapter to arrive, there's plenty for you to catch up on. In this guide, you'll find the biggest and latest news on the FX TV Original's sophomore season, including its likely cast, possible plot details, and the potential for more seasons to continue its story post-season 2. Here, then, is what we know thus far about Alien: Earth's second installment.

Alien: Earth season 2 release date: what we know so far

While it doesn't have a confirmed launch date yet, Alien: Earth season 2 was officially confirmed to be in development on November 12.

It'll be a long time before it's released, though. Speaking to Variety after the season 1 finale, Hawley said that, at the time, no script work had been carried out, but he and his writing team were ready to go if and when a season 2 announcement is made. He also told ScreenRant that he doesn't want the series to be off the air for too long.

However, with principal photography not set to begin until sometime next year, it could be late 2027 or early 2028 before season 2 makes its debut.

Alien: Earth season 2 trailer: is there one?

Staring at our phones waiting for a season 2 trailer like... (Image credit: FX Networks)

No and it'll be a long time before a trailer is released. Once one is, I'll update this section.

Alien: Earth season 2 cast: who's expected to return?

Wendy and Joe are nailed on to return in a possible second season (Image credit: FX Networks)

Full spoilers follow for Alien: Earth season 1.

Based on how last season ended, here's who I expect to see if a second season is greenlit:

  • Sydney Chandler as Wendy
  • Alex Lawther as Joe 'C.J.' Hermit
  • Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier
  • Babou Ceesay as Morrow
  • Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh
  • Essie Davis as Dame Sylvia
  • David Rysdahl as Arthur Sylvia
  • Adarsh Gourav as Slightly
  • Erana James as Curly
  • Lily Newhart as Nibs
  • Jonathan Ajayi as Smee
  • Adrian Edmondson as Atom Eins
  • Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Yutani

The only supporting characters who won't return for another trip to Prodigy's Neverland research facility are Diem Camille's Siberian, Moe Bar-El's Rashidi, and Kit Young's Isaac/Tootles. The last one was killed by acid-spitting fly-like creatures in episode 6, while the others were bumped off by the carnivorous plant-like monster that broke out of its laboratory confinement cell in last season's finale.

It's possible newcomers could join the Hulu and Disney+ show's cast. For instance, it would be cool to see the CEOs of Earth's three other megacorporations – Threshold, Dynamic, and Lynch – make appearances.

Their debuts in Alien: Earth season 2 are dependent on where the story goes next. But, based on your interpretation of comments Hawley made to Empire magazine, it sounds like that may happen. Indeed, Hawley said: "I’m interested in exploring the corporate politics of it. As we’ve seen, there’s an irresistible gravitational pull toward monopoly that corporations and billionaires have. There’s a bit of Game of Thrones to the corporate world that feels interesting to me."

Alien: Earth season 2 story speculation

What'll become of Boy Kavalier in season 2? (Image credit: FX Networks)

Major spoilers follow for Alien: Earth's first season.

Alien: Earth season 2's plot synopsis doesn't exist yet. However, there's stuff we can infer about it, thanks to its predecessor's final episode.

I already covered many of the biggest talking points in my Alien: Earth season 1 ending explained piece, but let's expand further on them with a little help from Hawley.

Let's start with the Hybrids now ruling the roost at Prodigy HQ. With Boy, Dame, Morrow, Kirsh, and Atom all locked up and watched over by the xenomorphs under Wendy's control, all seems well for Wendy and her fellow robot-humans (if they can be labeled as such).

However, it appears that their successful revolt will be short-lived. Weyland-Yutani forces are on their way to reclaim the dangerous alien lifeforms that Prodigy stole from them early in season 1. Will Prodigy's rival take back what's theirs and – potentially – the Hybrids, too? Or, will Wendy and company steadfastly refuse to turn in themselves and the aliens?

Dame Sylvia is one of many Prodigy employees (and one from Weyland-Yutani) who are jailed in last season's finale (Image credit: FX Networks)

Then there's the worry that the xenomorphs could perform their own mini-revolution and rail against Wendy. Right now, she knows how to control them, and many fans believe they see her as their 'queen'. Nevertheless, will her hold over them last? In conversation with Variety, Hawley suggested not, saying: "Those of us who know xenomorphs are like 'Well, maybe they can be controlled for a period of time…'". Don't be shocked, then, if Wendy's pets eventually start disobeying their master.

Xenomorphs aren't the only bioweapons Wendy and the gang have to contend with. The flesh-eating plant alien is now loose somewhere on the island. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite eyeball monster – aka Trypanohyncha Ocellus, aka The Eye – is not only free, but has also taken over Arthur's corpse following his death in episode 7. What will The Eye be able to do with Arthur's body while it's still in some usable state? And, once it's too decomposed to be functional, will The Eye try to track down a new human host?

Will the xenomorphs continue to play nice with Wendy and company? (Image credit: FX Networks/Disney+)

On top of the numerous story strands left dangling after last season's finale, there's also the question about how Alien: Earth ties into two of the best movies in the Alien franchise. Those being, 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens.

Speaking to TechRadar prior to the show's two-episode premiere, Hawley and executive producer David W. Zucker confirmed Alien: Earth wouldn't fully treat the Alien prequel movies as canon. Essentially, that means 2012's Prometheus and 2017's Alien: Covenant wouldn't impact the story they wanted to tell with Alien: Earth.

However, with this series set in 2120, i.e., just two years before Alien, the former can't necessarily ignore the lead-up to the 1979 original. So, how could Alien: Earth establish events to come in the franchise's inaugural installment?

"I think there are bridges that you cross right when you come to them," Hawley told Variety. "A big part of the world-building and the act of creation on these first eight episodes was to build something that was coherent to itself, that worked within the construct of... the first two movies. In a season 2 and beyond, then we really need to dig down and start to think about how these two stories are going to cohere together in the long term."

Alien: Earth could end up setting the stage for 1979's Alien (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

And what of this TV show's own ending? Whether it happens in Alien: Earth season 2 or not, Hawley told the Evolution of Horror YouTube channel: "I have a destination in mind story-wise, which allows me to know what the story is I’m telling, what it means. And I don’t know how long it takes to get there, but I do have a sense of where we'll go."

If, for whatever reason, FX chooses not to move forward with another season after Alien: Earth season 2, Hawley said (via Polygon) of the prospect of the series' open-ended nature: "A big part of what I try to do as a visual storyteller is always to engage the audience's imagination. Too much of what we watch treats us as passive viewers. So, if the worst thing that happens is that the audience has to finish this story, I trust them to come up with some good ways to go forward."

Will there be more seasons of Alien: Earth?

How many seasons of Alien: Earth will characters like Morrow appear in? (Image credit: FX Networks/Hulu/Disney+)

We shouldn't jump to conclusions but, with season 2 now in the works, future installments are more likely, especially with Hawley expressing interest in making more than two seasons.

In July, Hawley implied (via comicbook.com) that Alien: Earth could run for five seasons. However, he walked back that claim when talking to THR, saying, "I wouldn’t read too much into that", before also telling Entertainment Weekly: "We always discussed it as a recurring series. I have a sense of where the journey goes in the long run, but I don't necessarily know how long it'll take me to get there."

How many entries it takes to complete the sci-fi horror show's overarching narrative, then, is unclear. Regardless of whether Alien: Earth season 2 or another entry brings it to a close, we'll be seated for every entry.

For more coverage of shows available on Hulu and Disney+, read our guides on Shogun season 2, Percy Jackson season 2, Daredevil: Born Again season 2, and Star Wars: Ahsoka season 2.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.