Summary
- Alien: Romulus is a standalone story in the Alien franchise that doesn’t heavily rely on previous entries, offering a potential return to the claustrophobic horror of the franchise’s roots.
- Ridley Scott, the director of the original Alien movie, has seen an early version of Alien: Romulus and described it as “f***ing great,” giving high praise to director Fede Álvarez and his work on the film.
- The new Alien movie, directed by Álvarez and produced by Scott, will feature a young cast and take a darker, more frightening approach to the Alien universe, potentially reinvigorating the franchise and exploring new territory.
Alien: Romulus is the upcoming new Alien movie from director Fede Álvarez, and a great deal about the cast, story, and release date of Alien 7 has been revealed by both the Evil Dead director and 20th Century Studios. Starting with Ridley Scott’s 1979 movie, the Alien franchise primarily followed Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), and her multiple encounters with the deadly Xenomorphs and their countless variants. Following the apparent conclusion to Ripley’s journey in Alien: Resurrection, the franchise was revived in 2012 after Prometheus took the franchise in a new and exciting direction, followed by 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
The Alien franchise might not be the most consistent, but it’s hard to deny just how inventive and innovative the sci-fi horror can be when at its best. Since Alien: Romulus is in the hands of Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe director Fede Álvarez, hopes for the new Alien movie are high. Alien: Romulus will be a standalone story won’t rely heavily on Covenant or previous entries. With a cast led by Mare of Easttown and Pacific Rim star Cailee Spaeny and a script co-written by Álvarez’s Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe creative partner Rodo Sayagues it’s clear that Alien: Romulus could be a successful return to the claustrophobic horror of the franchise’s roots.
Latest News On Alien: Romulus
The most recent Alien: Romulus news arrived on October 17, 2023. One name that’s synonymous with the Alien franchise is director Ridley Scott, the mind behind the first Alien movie in 1979 and the director of multiple other entries in the franchise including 2017’s Alien: Covenant. Ridley Scott isn’t directing the new Alien movie, though he has been supporting Fede Álvarez throughout the production. Alien is a franchise with many devoted fans, and many were keen to know if the upcoming Alien: Romulus would live up to Scott’s entries.
According to Ridley Scott, it definitely does. Deadline reported in October 2023 that Ridley Scott had seen an early version of the new Fede Álvarez Alien movie. Álvarez was speaking at the DGA Latino Summit 2023 when he revealed that Ridley Scott had already given feedback, and the Alien: Covenant and Prometheus director had described the new Alien movie as “f***ing great”. Álvarez revealed he was a little intimated by Scott at first, but the director of the 1979 Alien movie that started it all had positive feedback on Alien: Romulus.
“And then he walks into the room and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s f***ing great,’” he said, describing the moments after Ridley Scott first watched an early version of Alien: Romulus. “For me, it was like… My family knows it was one of the best moments of my life to have a master like him, whom I admired so much, to even watch a movie I made, but particularly something like this… and talk to me for an hour about what he liked about it. One of the best compliments he said was, ‘The dialogue is great. Are you the writer?’ Yes!”
Alien: Romulus Is Confirmed
Alien: Romulus was officially announced in March 2022, though the title of the new Fede Álvarez Alien movie hadn’t been settled on then. It was also confirmed that it would be a Hulu streaming exclusive and was described as a sequel that’s still standalone from the Alien franchise. Since there are several other Alien ideas in the works (including the conclusion to the Prometheus story), it took a while for details to be fully worked out for the upcoming sequel, but casting announcements and a working title, Alien: Romulus, was eventually released in November 2022. Filming of Alien: Romulus officially wrapped in July 2023.
Alien: Romulus Release Date
The Alien: Romulus release date has been set for August 16, 2024. The announcement of the new Alien movie release date came in mid-2023, months after director Fede Alvarez shared the first production photo of the movie — playfully revealing the return of the iconic face-hugger wrapped around a slate board.
Alien: Romulus Cast
The Alien: Romulus cast has been announced, though little is known about the characters they’ll be playing. Cailee Spaeny was the first member of the new Alien movie’s cast to enter negotiations, with her involvement being officially announced in November 2022. Her character will reportedly be the protagonist of the story, likely spiritually following in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley. The actor is most recognizable for her work opposite Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown.
There’s already been a number of additional names attached to the Alien 7 cast. The full cast list for Alien Romulus includes:
- Cailee Spaeny (Mare of Easttown)
- David Jonsson (Industry)
- Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone)
- Isabela Merced (Rosaline)
- Spike Fearn (The Batman)
- Aileen Wu (Away from Home)
While the cast of Alien: Romulus doesn’t yet include many Hollywood stars like Prometheus or Alien: Covenant, these actors have all provided impressive work that proves how capable and engaging these performances should be. It’s a notably young cast, which hints that the producers are looking to reboot the Alien franchise and take it in a new direction.
Why Ridley Scott Isn’t Directing The New Alien Movie
Ridley Scott will not be directing Alien: Romulus, the upcoming Alien sequel. While he was responsible for the 1979 original, it’s often been other directors that expand the universe and provide further stories. Instead, Fede Álvarez will direct the new Alien movie, having previously handled 2013’s Evil Dead reboot and the beloved horror/thriller Don’t Breathe. He’s got plenty of experience working in the horror genre, so there’s a strong possibility that the new Alien movie will take a darker, more frightening approach to the Alien universe.
While he won’t be serving as the director of the project, Scott is still going to be closely involved in the new Alien movie, and will be working closely with Fede Álvarez. He’s the lead producer, meaning his creative input will likely be important for Álvarez and his team when deciding which direction this story should take. Scott has made plenty of great movies over the course of his career, so his involvement in the Alien sequel is a hugely promising sign.
Alien: Romulus Plot Synopsis & Story Details
The new Alien movie story hasn’t been revealed yet, but the creative team behind the project has been adamant that it will be a stand-alone movie, separate from the rest of Scott’s franchise – both the original series and the prequels. So far, only a vague but intriguing synopsis has been revealed, promising the story of “a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.” It will feature a completely new cast of characters as they presumably fight against the Xenomorphs in Alien: Romulus during a time point that hasn’t yet been explored in the franchise.