FX’s upcoming Alien: Earth series looks like it will be solving a major issue with Alien: Romulus. The Alien franchise has seen bumps in the road over the years, but 2024’s Alien: Romulus was seen as a return to form, with filmmaker Fede Álvarez capturing some of the lightning that Ridley Scott bottled in the original 1979 film. While an Alien: Romulus sequel is in the works, the next project will be the first to bring Alien to television, with Alien: Earth premiering in August 2025.
Alien: Earth is being developed for FX and Hulu by Noah Hawley, an extraordinary television writer and creator who’s behind genius shows like Fargo and Legion. I’m a huge fan of his work, and the recent trailer for Alien: Earth only solidified the excitement that I’ve been building for months in preparation for this series. He’s making choices that might be divisive to some Alien fans, and that makes me thrilled to see where the show’s story goes.
Alien: Earth Is Taking More Risks Than Alien: Romulus
Noah Hawley Is Uprooting Some Of Alien’s Most Beloved Lore
Aside from the obvious factor of Alien: Earth being the first TV show in the franchise, the new series looks like it’s going to be an entirely fresh take on the franchise. Alien: Earth is set on our planet, unlike the space-trotting movies we’ve seen, and will be expanding upon the lore in a degree of detail we’ve yet to see before. The Weyland-Yutani corp will be the most notable, recognizable faction aside from the Xenomorphs, with the show set just before the original Alien movie.
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Alien Series Trailer Reveals How The Xenomorphs Get To Earth
The latest Alien: Earth trailer teases Earth-bound terror and fresh new horrors in FX’s upcoming prequel series helmed by Noah Hawley.
There are two choices Noah Hawley is making that will be incredibly controversial with Alien fans. First, he’s not using the lore Ridley Scott established with Prometheus, and second, he’s bringing the Xenomorph to Earth before the events of the first movie. Not to mention, he’s creating new alien species and adding them to the franchise. This show will uproot the lore of the Alien movies, changing a lot of what we’ve been led to know, and that could receive a poor reception if it’s not handled with grace.
Alien: Romulus Was Great, But It Played It Safe
Romulus Followed The Alien (1979) Blueprint
I thoroughly enjoyed Alien: Romulus, and I praised it at the time of its release for having the best acting ensemble in the franchise since the original, with Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced being evident standouts. That said, while I can go sit in a theater and experience the emotion of nostalgia as viscerally as anyone, it’s important at times to take a step back and think about what that nostalgia is serving. Romulus was a very strong sci-fi/horror movie, but that’s because it followed the blueprint of a legendary classic almost to a tee.
Romulus was a very strong sci-fi/horror movie, but that’s because it followed the blueprint of a legendary classic almost to a tee.
I once compared Alien: Romulus to The Force Awakens, as both projects rode heavily off the coattails of franchise nostalgia. It can work once, but if Romulus is to have sequels, Álvarez and other creatives working on the Alien franchise need to try new things. Prometheus was a risky move from Ridley Scott, and it wasn’t received well at the time. However, the movie has grown to develop a large following over time, with audiences appreciating how the title expanded upon the franchise lore. Prometheus has its problems, but the risks demonstrate a potential for greatness.
Alien: Earth Is The Perfect Next Installment In The Franchise After Romulus
The Alien Franchise Needs To Move Forward
After a safe bet to rekindle some interest, it’s hard to think of a better follow-up than a movie that’s going to rile up audiences. I’m not trying to say that creating discourse is necessarily a good thing, but it’s crucial for a franchise to develop if it wants to last. The issue with a franchise expanded from Alien is that the plot of a Xenomorph killing people on a spaceship can only be done so many times. Alien: Earth’s purpose isn’t to provide fans with what they already know they like; it’s to recontextualize and create new perspectives on it.
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