The Alien franchise is set to continue on the small screen with an “FX on Hulu” TV series from Fargo creator Noah Hawley, a show that began filming last year, then had to halt production after a month due to the actors strike. Filming resumed earlier this year, and continues to this day. A few months ago, we heard that Sandra Yi Sencindiver of Foundation had joined the cast to play “a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation” in multiple episodes… and in a new interview with Variety, Sencindiver said she believes that fans of Alien and Aliens will be pleased with what Hawley is doing with this show.
One of the first things we heard about the Alien TV series – and one of the most surprising things about it – is that it will actually be set on Earth, a couple decades before the events of the first movie. FX chairman John Landgraf has said the show will take place “right near the end of this century.” According to Deadline, the setting puts it “a few years before Prometheus,” which Hawley has previously said he has chosen not to acknowledge. Hawley decided to set the show on Earth because “The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of ‘What happens if you can’t contain it?’ are more immediate.“
Sencindiver told Variety, “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. 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.“
Variety notes that the Alien TV series will “explore the formation of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and the race to create android life.” They add that Sencindiver is playing a crucial character named Yatani… and I wonder if that’s a typo and the character’s name is Yutani. Whatever the case, Sencindiver says that she watched Aliens on repeat when she was growing up and “It’s been very exciting and interesting to play this character. 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.” If the character is Yutani, she has been played before; by Françoise Yip at the end of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem… but it’s understandable if that fact were overlooked.
Sencindiver’s Alien TV series co-stars include Sydney Chandler (Pistol) as the meta-human Wendy, who has the body of an adult, but the brain and consciousness of a child; Essie Davis (The Babadook) as Dame Silvia, Alex Lawther (The End of the F*cking World) as a soldier named CJ, Samuel Blenkin (Black Mirror) as a CEO named Boy Kavalier, Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as a character named Slightly, Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) as a character called Tootles, and Timothy Olyphant (Justified), who is said to be playing Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for Wendy. Also in the cast are Babou Ceesay (Guerrilla), Jonathan Ajayi (Wonder Woman 1984), Erana James (The Wilds), Lily Newmark (Sex Education), Diêm Camille (Washington Black), Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones), Moe Bar-El (The Peripheral), and David Rysdahl, who worked with Hawley on Fargo season 5.
The Alien TV series is believed to have an eight episode first season. Filming is expected to wrap this month, but there will be a lot of visual effects work to do in post-production, so the show is aiming for a 2025 premiere.
What do you think of what Sandra Yi Sencindiver had to say about the Alien TV series? Let us know by leaving a comment below.