Alien: Romulus bursts into San Diego Comic-Con for a closer look at Fede Álvarez’s anticipated sci-fi thriller

Last Updated on August 2, 2024

Director Fede Álvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus, is set to reach theatres on August 16th – and with the release date just a few weeks away, the film was promoted with a panel at Comic-Con today, with Álvarez in attendance alongside cast members Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), David Jonsson (Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Spike Fearn (Aftersun), and Aileen Wu (Away from Home).

The San Diego Comic-Con panel for Alien: Romulus began with a sizzle reel showing the desperate state of the future world. The young protagonists are confused as they explore their new surroundings. Alan Seeger’s “I Have a Rendevous with Death” begins to play. The reel then cuts to the group battling a swarm of Face Huggers. It’s the same footage guests saw at CinemaCon earlier this year.

Addressing the crowd, Fede Álvarez said he wanted fresh faces in the film. He wants to create a mood in which you think anyone could die at any moment. Cailee Spaeny spoke at the panel, saying she’d auditioned for Álvarez before, and he kept her in mind while casting Romulus. One of the reasons she wanted to make the movie was because of the practical effects (an actor after my own heart). David Jonsson says it was challenging taking on the part of a “Synthetic.” Álvarez corrected Johnsson, saying his character is an “artificial person.”

Interestingly, Ridley Scott submitted a question for the group to answer, asking, “What new elements are you bringing into Alien: Romulus?” Álvarez says the theme of his film is siblinghood, with Spaeny and Jonsson’s characters being brother and sister, despite Jonsson’s character being an “artifical person.” Would you die for a sibling who isn’t technically real? Álvarez also said that when a particular actor auditioned, they said they’d only seen the first two movies in the franchise, Prometheus and Covenant. This actor did not land the gig.

Dan Trachtenberg then posed the question: Who would win in a fight? A Predator or a Xenomorph? Álvarez responded, “Didn’t they make a movie about that?” Álvarez elaborated, saying it depends on which species of Xenomorph is involved in the fight.

Guillermo Del Toro then asked: The Xenomorph is one of the great designs in cinematic history. What does it feel like to bring that to life once again? Álvarez answered, “It felt amazing, but it’s a massive responsibility. You have to honor the legacy and design.” Álvarez says he wanted to hire people who worked on Aliens and knew what they were doing.

Another question from Ridley Scott asked Álvarez to rank the Alien films and said he’s listening closely to the answers. Álvarez says the original is the best. The “not as good” one is AVP, but it has some good kills. Everything else is in the middle, and how you rank them defines you as a fan.

Holy sh*t! David Jonsson says a stunt sequence with a Face Hugger went wrong when the creature whipped him in the face too hard, detaching his retina! Sick!

At the end of the panel, a Chest Burster made an appearance!

Oh, and we may never see our Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, ever again:

When this project was announced near the start of 2022, it was said that Álvarez pitched the idea to Ridley Scott years before and it stuck with Scott. He called Álvarez in late 2021 and asked if he still wanted to make an Alien movie. Clearly, the answer was yes. 20th Century Studios division president Steve Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter that they picked up the project “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch. It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.“

It has also been said that the story Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues crafted for Alien: Romulus is not connected to the other films in the Alien franchise – but it’s not ignoring any of the other entries, either. Álvarez has been clear about the fact that his story takes place within the established franchise continuity. In fact, it slots right in between the events of Alien and Aliens. It has the following official logline: The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

Merced has previously said there’s a scene in the film that’s so disgusting that a lot of viewers will have to look away. Graphic and gruesome is what we expected from this movie as soon as it was announced that it was being made by the director of Evil Dead 2013 and Don’t Breathe. It has received an R rating for bloody violent content and language.

Are you looking forward to Alien: Romulus? Let us know by leaving a comment below.