Phil Roberts 
Cailee Spaeny suggests that the new addition to the legacy is set between Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens!
The ALIEN franchise has been on hiatus since Ridley Scott’s Alien Covenant failed to set the box office alight. In the time since its lackluster debut, the studio has been looking for a fresh take on the property. And at long last, two pitches made it through the gauntlet. Now, Hulu has commissioned a new series from Noah Hawley and 20 Century Studios has given the green light to a new feature film from Fede Alvarez. The screenplay for the new movie was written by Alvarez with his frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues. But until now, details about the new film, expected to be titlted ALIEN: ROMULUS have been scarce.
Enter Cailee Spaeny. The actor has been doing the rounds on the press tour for Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley biopic Priscilla recently. And during one of her interviews, the conversation inevitably turned to her role in the sci-fi blockbuster. Surprisingly, she was more than eager to drop a few breadcrumbs about the movie which is expected to take place between Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s sensational Aliens. What’s more, she revealed that the original design team from Aliens is back to ensure the film is true to its source material. Even recreating the look of the iconic Xenomorph!
ARE WE RETURNING TO LV-426?
While talking with Variety‘s Michaela Zee, Spaeny touched on where the film is set.
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie. They brought the same team from Aliens, the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. So getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible. My first film (Pacific Rim: Uprising) was big-budget sci-fi. I feel like I’m going back to that world. And I have so much fun. I like trying to do as many different things as I can. So I swapped my high heels and my beehive for spacesuits and lots of wire work. … I love watching those old ‘70s, ‘80s action sci-fi films. And I’m such a fan of that IP and Sigourney Weaver. It’s legendary to get to be a part of it.“
THE PLOT
Although the film is set between the IP’s biggest hits, the film is expected to be a standalone and have no connection to Ripley’s ordeal aboard the Nostromo. However, the story of the film is expected to follow a human colony as they fight for their lives against the Xenomorph threat. Sound familiar?
In James Cameron’s Aliens, the human colony on LV-426, aptly named Hadley’s Hope was besieged by a plague of Xenomorphs and their queen. After a brave struggle for survival, the entire colony was lost and its inhabitants were used to breed more Xenos than you could shake a stick at. But after contact with the colony ceased, the greedy Weyland-Yutani corporation dispatched a squad of Colonial Marines led by Ellen Ripley to investigate. And we all know how that turned out! Bye bye LV-426!
THE HR TAKE
Recently, the team at the Hollywood Reporter caught sight of the plot and noted that the story follows “a group of young people on a distant world find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe. As opposed to the other movies which focused on adults in corporate, militaristic, and scientific roles, this now-ninth installment of the franchise will focus on a group of young people. On a distant colony, the group finds themselves in a fight for their lives with the titular alien, a creature known as a Xenomorph, whose race propagates by implanting eggs into people’s stomachs via face-huggers, with the juveniles eventually violently bursting out of the host’s chest.”
THE FALL OF HADLEYS HOPE
Sound alot like Hadley’s Hope to me. And in truth, this could be a masterstroke by Alvarez. The fall of Hadley’s Hope has scarcely been touched upon in the franchise thus far. James Cameron’s Director’s Cut of Aliens is the only place where the colony is seen pre-Xenomorph invasion. So this gives Alvarez plenty of room to develop a story on the distant world of LV-426. And let’s face it, the franchise’s biggest hits have all been set on the doomed world. Especially when the endless dark and forebding tunnels are littered with Xenomorphs.
CAST & CREW
Joining Spaeny in the cast is David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu, and Isabela Merced. Alien: Romulus, or whatever it ends up being called is coming to us from Momentum and 20th Century Studios. Franchise legend Ridley Scott is producing through his Scott Free banner. Sadly, James Cameron is not involved in this instalment. But with Ridley Scott on hand to steer the ship home, this has become one of the highlights of 2024.
RELEASE
As mentioned above, Alien: Romulus (working title) will release in cinemas on August 16th 2024.
This is a developing story. We will be on hand to bring you the latest updates as soon as they emerge. So, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and never miss a story by Future of the Force.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
