The "Alien" universe is expanding with not one project, but two: the latest movie "Alien: Romulus" and a new TV show. Fans of this beloved franchise can experience more stories about the terrifying Xenomorph and the unfortunate characters destined to face these creatures next.
FX boss John Landgraf and the series' showrunner, Noah Hawley, revealed the title of the show in an interview with Variety. He said: "We’re pretty bullish on Alien: Earth and we’ve told him that assuming, as we hope, Alien: Earth is a returning television series, we want him to focus on at least writing two seasons of it before returning to a possible sixth season of Fargo." So there we have it, the upcoming show is officially called "Alien: Earth".
This new "Alien" TV show has been generating masses of interest ever since it was first announced by Disney in 2020. Not much was revealed about the plans for this series, but as of late, we’ve been getting some fairly big updates regarding its current development and who will be starring in it.
"Alien: Romulus" has set up this franchise for a new generation, which can help pave the way for the TV show’s ultimate success. The movie takes place between "Alien" and "Aliens", while the series is going to bring the iconic creatures home. Yes, you read that right, back to Earth. This concept alone was originally planned for another "Alien" movie, but after that fell through, it was reignited again for a modernized show.
So, let’s get into the juicy details about "Alien: Earth" and what you can expect from this upcoming show.
'Alien: Earth' plot
The "Alien" TV show is the first story that will be set on Earth, around 70 years in the future from where we are now. That makes it close to 2100, so we can expect to see some big changes to civilization and how it operates. What makes this so unique is that we haven’t seen this before in the franchise, so it would be interesting to watch how the Xenomorph reacts in that type of environment.
According to Deadline’s report as of April 19, the upcoming show takes place 30 years before the first "Alien" movie and deals with "the emergence of the story’s infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation and the race between corporations to create new android life."
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation is a corrupt business that would rather sacrifice human decency for profit instead of following basic corporate morals. In the movies, it’s believed that they were always one step ahead with space colonization and research. FX, the streaming network, said: "Expect a scary thrill ride set not too far in the future here on Earth."
As of September 4, we finally have an official synopsis for the show, which tells us more about what to expect: "When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat."
It has been a growing concern among many fans about how this show will feature Xenomorphs considering it's just before (or around the time of) "Prometheus." If you've seen this prequel movie then you'll know the Xenomorphs were created as the result of the Engineer's black goo, so technically it wouldn't be possible for them to exist yet in the "Alien: Earth" timeline. But I guess we'll get the answer to that next year.
On September 16 in an interview with Variety, Noah Hawley talked about the story and how it's more than just survival: "It delivers everything that a great Alien movie delivers… those movies are survival stories, that’s great for 2 hours but if you want to make 30 plus hours of it, there’s gotta be a larger dramatic story."
Hawley also went on to talk about the Xenomorph in depth, especially since it's the first time we'll be seeing the creature on Earth: "There’s something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes. That is truly chilling to think of it moving here among us, and so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it — and you’re going to lock your door that night."
"What was really fun for me was to really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct," Hawley continued, "but some of the elements as we know, whatever the host is, informs what the final creature is. I just wanted to play around a little bit to make it as scary as it should be."
FX chief John Landgraf also expressed his belief that Hawley is the perfect guy for the job: "All I can tell you is Ripley won’t be a part of it, and neither will any other characters — other than the alien itself. Noah has an incredible ability to both find a way of being faithful and showing fidelity to an original creation, like to the Coen brothers [with Fargo] or to Ridley Scott’s movie and James Cameron’s follow-up Aliens, but also to bring something new that represents both an extension and reinvention of a franchise at the same time. He’s done a masterful job with Alien as he did with Fargo. There are some big surprises in store for the audience."
Landgraf also said: "I hope they will feel like it’s faithful to the franchise they love but also a brave and original reinvention of that franchise,” he continued. “Setting it on Earth is really interesting. We have to think forward about the future of the planet in terms of the environment, governance, technology and create and design a version of the planet in the future … Noah wants to do that in a distinctive and original way."
'Alien: Earth' cast
Surprisingly we already have a big list of the main cast. Of course, there could still be more people joining the cast as the show gets more updates, especially with trailers. There are also more cast members listed on IMDb.
The current confirmed cast includes:
- Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a woman who has the body of an adult and consciousness of a child ("Don’t Worry Darling", "Sugar", "Pistol")
- Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, a CEO ("Black Mirror")
- Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Wendy's synth mentor and trainer ("Fargo")
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Yatani, a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation ("Foundation")
- Alex Lawther as CJ, a soldier ("The End of the F*cking World")
- Kit Young as Tootles ("Out of Darkness")
- Essie Davis as Dame Silvia ("The Babadook", "One Day")
- Adarsh Gourav as Slightly ("The White Tiger")
- Bear Williams as Yutani Commando ("Tremors: Shrieker Island")
- Lloyd Everitt as Hoyt ("The Pact", "The Sandman")
- Amir Boutrous as Rahim ("Aladdin")
- Dean Alexandrou as Bergerfeld ("Mysterious Island")
- Enzo Cilenti as Petrovitch ("The Serpent Queen", "The Martian", "The Fourth Kind")
- Babou Ceesay in TBD role ("Guerrilla")
- Jonathan Ayaji in TBD role ("Wonder Woman 1984")
- Erana James in TBD role ("Uproar")
- Lily Newmark in TBD role ("Sex Education")
- Diêm Camille in TBD role ("The Great Silence")
- Adrian Edmondson in TBD role ("Bottom", "3 Body Problem", "War & Peace")
- David Rysdahl in TBD role ("Fargo")
- Moe Bar-El in TBD role ("Honour", "The Peripheral")
According to director Noah Hawley, the lead character played by Sydney Chandler will be "a hybrid, a meta-human who has the brain and consciousness of a child but the body of an adult."
'Alien: Earth' filming updates
Filming began in Thailand (April 19) with Sandra Yi Sencindiver. Noah Hawley, creator and director, told Deadline on June 5 that the "Alien" series remains in production in Thailand until July. He also recently wrapped work on the episodes he directed.
We currently have a predicted release date of late next year, but that depends on the development process and how many episodes there will be to film. Additionally, Hulu wants to have the first two seasons come out with a minimal time gap in between, as this will help to maintain momentum with "Alien’s" release schedule in 2025.
Collider reported that the show will also have multiple seasons, and it will likely be a "recurring series" with a definitive ending. Hawley said: "I think that endings are what gives a story meaning, and so you should never start a story without some sense of where it’s going because then you can really build that meaning into it."
As of July 3, Sandra Yi Sencindiver gave a little insight into the upcoming series. She said: "I think that especially the fans who love films No. 1 [Ridley Scott’s Alien] and 2 [James Cameron’s Aliens] will be very pleased with the universe and the world-building in this reimagining,” Sencindiver told Variety. "A lot of brilliant people, a lot of very interesting character actors [who are] very dedicated and, of course, Noah Hawley is just a brilliant storyteller."
Sencindiver also talked about being a huge "Alien" fan and watching the movies when she was younger. "I can’t say anything more than that, other than it’s been very exciting and interesting to play this character,” she said. "And I also think it’s a pleasure that nobody has played that character before. That’s also great for me, that I get to set the bar for what this character is. We’ll be pleased — the old fans of the original movies."
Noah Hawley’s ‘ALIEN’ series has wrapped filming.Coming soon to FX. pic.twitter.com/3pQ9g1E1EHJuly 16, 2024
We have exciting news — as of July 17, the "Alien" series has wrapped filming. The cast were seen celebrating at a wrap party in Thailand. Not much else was given regarding this big update other than a sneaky image (see above post) that could be part of the title or opening. However, it's possible we'll get more insights into the show as it enters post-production.
When the marketing kicks off for "Alien: Earth", we’ll come back and update this with any new updates and predicted release dates for a trailer or teaser.
'Alien: Earth' first look trailers and photos
We finally have a small teaser for "Alien: Earth", even though it isn't much to go on. Fans first saw this 15-second clip during early screenings of "Alien: Romulus", and now that it's been officially released online, people are already sharing their thoughts. Most fans are eager to see what's next for the franchise considering "Romulus" did so well (and it's absolutely fantastic). Others are worried that we might not see as much Xenomorph action.
But regardless, the teaser is exciting enough. It features the reflection of Earth on an Xenomorph's head as it lunges at the screen with its inner jaw. Even from the quick glimpse we know the show is sticking to the classic Xenomorph design, and that makes me very happy.
On November 12, Disney released a video of everything that's coming in 2025, and each movie or show gets a small teaser. Yes, that also includes another small teaser for "Alien: Earth" in a seven-second clip. Again, it's not much, but it's something. And I'm even more excited for when the proper trailer gets released.
In the short teaser we see a river between some mountains, a classic shot of what looks to be a claustrophobic spaceship hallway (with blaring red lights), people in spacesuits looking into a cave in the water, a shot of Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a person screaming and then the title sequence of Earth reflection's in an Xenomorph's head. There really isn't much to talk about here, but regardless, I'm hyped.
First teaser for Noah Hawley’s ‘ALIEN: EARTH’Releasing on Hulu in 2025. pic.twitter.com/SS3HoAZd9CNovember 12, 2024
'Alien: Earth' streaming platform
Disney has confirmed you'll be able to stream the "Alien" TV show on Hulu in the United States, as it’s also being created as an FX original. For those living outside the U.S. you can watch the series on Star — another joint Disney Plus network made for streaming mature content.
As more details are revealed about the upcoming show, it’s possible that additional streaming platforms will be added.
'Alien: Earth' TV show creators
Noah Hawley will be the creator, showrunner, director, and writer of the upcoming "Alien" TV show. He also worked on hit shows such as "Fargo" and "Legion", so there’s no doubt that he’ll create another popular series, especially when it comes to expanding the "Alien" universe. It’s not confirmed whether he will be directing the entire first season or only working on a few episodes.
Original "Alien" director Ridley Scott will also be joining Hawley as an executive producer. He also worked on "Alien: Romulus", which is promising because it means both projects will be accurate and true to the original franchise.
The production companies involved in this series include 20th Television, FX, and Scott Free Productions.
Dana Gonzales, who also worked on "Fargo" and "Legion", will be taking control of the cinematography alongside Hawley. For production design, Andy Nicholson has the reins to make a visually stunning work of art, since he also worked on striking movies such as "Gravity" and "Captain Marvel".
