Earlier today, 20th Century Studios unveiled a teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus, director Fede Alvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise that is set to reach theatres on August 16th. (You can watch the teaser HERE.) We’ve previously heard that the story takes place between the events of the original Alien and its follow-up Aliens, but also that the movie is not connected to the other films in the Alien franchise. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alvarez confirmed that the story is set to between Alien and Aliens, but also made sure to clarify that this movie isn’t meant to ignore any of the films in the franchise. He also revealed that both Alien director Ridley Scott (who is a producer on this film) and Aliens director James Cameron have seen Alien: Romulus, and they both gave him notes.
When this project was announced near the start of 2022, it was said that Alvarez pitched the idea to Ridley Scott years ago and it stuck with Scott. So in late 2021, he called Alvarez and asked if he still wanted to make an Alien movie. Clearly, the answer was yes. While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Alvarez said that he didn’t intend to pitch a movie to Scott, it just happened during a conversation when Scott was gearing up to make Alien: Covenant. Alvarez went into fanboy mode and told Scott what he would like to see in a new Alien movie, while mentioning that he had an idea that occurred to him while watching James Cameron’s director’s cut of Aliens. Alvarez said, “I remember watching an extended cut of Aliens, and there’s a moment where you see a bunch of kids running [and riding a big wheel] around the corridors of this colony. And I thought, ‘Wow, what would it be like for those kids to grow up in a colony that still needs another 50 years to terraform? There’s no sunlight and there’s no real life, except to just take the place of a parent and do the same job they did.’ In my movies, I’m always interested in those characters. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the small country of Uruguay. I think it connects to a lot of people who grew up in small towns and think that all the important things are happening somewhere else. So when I saw those kids, I remember thinking, ‘If I ever tell a story in that world, I would definitely be interested in those kids when they reach their early twenties, and what they want to do and where they want to go.’ And when it comes to having them encounter the creature, the dynamics are completely different. So that might be the reason why we managed to make it.“
As for the film not being connected to the other films, “The way we crafted it is if you haven’t seen any of them, I’m jealous because you’ll have an incredible experience. You’ll have all these worlds of Alien coming at you, and you’ve never experienced any of this. You don’t know how the creature is born, and you don’t know any of these things. That’s fantastic. You’ll have a blast. Now, if you’ve seen the others, then it’s a completely different experience in a way, because you’ll see and you’ll find those connections with the other movies. And if you’re a fan, you’ll be that person who annoys your friends in the theater, by telling them that you know what this is from and where that gun is from and what the characters are talking about. So it is crafted in that way, and hopefully it works that way for everybody, but it is connected to all of them. I love all of those movies. I didn’t want to omit or ignore any of them when it comes to connections at a story level, character level, technology level and creature level. There’s always connections from Alien to Alien: Covenant.” So Alien: Romulus may not feature characters from movies (and it takes place before some of them), but it still exists within the world established in the other films.
Alvarez also confirmed that Ridley Scott has seen Alien: Romulus and spent an hour telling him how much he enjoyed the movie. “As intimidating as it is, that’s the best part of being able to work on something like this. For all of us and whatever it is that we do, the dream is to sit down with the masters of our craft and have a conversation about what we do and learn how to do it better. And the process of making this film definitely gave me that experience with Ridley. At the story level, we first told him what I was planning to do, and then when he read it, I discussed the script with him. And later, when he watched the movie, I discussed my cut with him. So I consider each one of those moments and creative conversations with Ridley to be a highlight of my career and my life. James Cameron is also someone I’ve met through the years, and when he learned that I was doing it, we started chatting about it. So I also had that conversation with him at the script level. He’s now seen the movie and loved it. It’s also fascinating because [Cameron and Scott’s] notes and comments are completely different. (Laughs.) They wouldn’t repeat a note. Whatever Ridley said, Cameron said something different. They were all super smart comments, notes and thoughts on the film and the filmmaking, et cetera, but both of them have completely different approaches. So the fantastic part of being able to make this film is to have the chance to work with them.” To read the full interview, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.
Alien: Romulus 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.
The film stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Industry), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (The Batman), and Aileen Wu (Away from Home).
Are you looking forward to Alien: Romulus, and are you glad to hear that it doesn’t ignore other entries in the franchise and went over well with Ridley Scott and James Cameron? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
One upcoming Alien project that won’t be acknowledging the prequel films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant is the Alien TV show, as the show’s creator Noah Hawley didn’t like the back story those Ridley Scott-directed prequels gave to the Xenomorph, and also felt that the technology on display was too advanced.