Everything We Know So Far About the Xenomorphs' Return

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• What Is The Release Date for 'Alien: Romulus'?

• Is There a Trailer for 'Alien: Romulus'?

• Who Will Star in 'Alien: Romulus'?

• What's the Plot of 'Alien: Romulus'?

• Who Is Making 'Alien: Romulus'?

• When and Where Did 'Alien: Romulus' Film?

Movie franchises are a lot like memories...they may fade away, but they'll never die. The latest example of this adage is the current rebirth of the 44-year-old Alien movie franchise. Despite numerous attempts to reignite the franchise with Alien: Resurrection, the Alien vs. Predator films, Prometheus, and a Neil Blomkamp-directed sequel that was ultimately canceled, the franchise sputtered to a halt in 2017 with Alien: Covenant.

But now, six years later, the Alien franchise has come roaring back to life onscreen. Noah Hawley (Fargo) is working on an Alien series for FX, and the ninth Alien movie is on its way. Though the two productions exist in the same franchise, the plots of the series and the movie and series are unconnected...as of now, anyway. Meanwhile, here's everything we know so far about the ninth Alien movie, titled Alien: Romulus.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on June 4, 2024.

Alien: Romulus

In Alien: Romulus, a crew of space explorers lands on a distant, uncharted planet, only to uncover a horrifying secret lurking beneath the surface. As they delve deeper into the alien environment, they encounter deadly creatures and ancient ruins that hint at a terrifying history. The team's survival becomes a desperate battle against the relentless xenomorphs, forcing them to rely on their wits and technology to escape the nightmarish world.

What Is The Release Date for 'Alien: Romulus'?

Alien: Romuluswill hit theaters on August 16, 2024. The film will be opening against Kevin Costner's western epic Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2. While the new film was initially announced to be heading straight to Hulu, much like the Predator prequel film Prey, the film will now be receiving an exclusive theatrical release. That being said, once the film's theatrical window ends, it will be available to stream on Hulu.

Is There a Trailer for 'Alien: Romulus'?

20th Century Studios released the first teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus on March 20, 2024. Running at just over a minute-long, the first look at the film shies away from sharing any plot details, but it does show the seemingly brutal carnage and violence that the movie will be full of.

In an interview with Collider's Christina Radish, Isabela Merced revealed that Fede Álvarez cut the teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus himself, saying:

Because Fede Alvarez is the nerdy fan that he is of Alien , he really was vouching for this movie. He actually cut the teaser trailer himself, which is very rare. Usually, studios handle that.

20th Century Studios released a lengthier trailer for Alien: Romulus on June 4, 2024. The trailer gives more details about the plot of the movie as Spaney's character boards a ship in hopes of better things in life. However, what she doesn't know is that she's about to spend some time with a deadly xenomorph.

Additional footage for Alien: Romulus was shown during Disney's CinemaCon 2024 presentation in April 2024. Collider's Britta DeVore broke down the footage in a piece, saying:

In CinemaCon’s first look at Alvarez’s terrifying sci-fi flick, the crew members of Alien: Romulus are in for a terrifyingly long night. With an already positive reaction coming from franchise starter, Scott, we can confirm that this one will be filled with visually stunning sequences, practical effects, and intense and jaw-dropping moments. Two of the teammates are trapped in a blocked-off hall with Spaeny trying to break through the door to get them out. As they scramble to get out alive, the trapped men don’t even notice that aliens have hatched and are swimming through the flooded area to attack. By the end of the teaser, it’s too late for the entire crew as an alien has burst from one of the astronaut’s chests, starting the nightmare all over again.

Who Will Star in 'Alien: Romulus'?

Though you won't see Sigourney Weaver's iconic heroine Ripley in the latest Alien movie, Cailee Spaeny leads the cast as Rain Carradine, a similarly tough-skinned and feminist action hero. Spaeny is most known for playing the title role in the Sofia Coppola movie Priscilla, which garnered her unanimous praise. Spaeny most recently starred alongside Kirsten Dunst in Alex Garland's hit dystopian thriller Civil War. Spaeny also starred in the Emmy-winning HBO limited series Mare of Easttown, Devs, Drew Goddard's neo-noir Bad Times at the El Royale, and Pacific Rim: Uprising. She will also be a part of the impressive ensemble of Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Also joining the cast are David Jonsson (Rye Lane) as Andy, Isabela Merced (Superman) as Kay, Spike Fearn (The Batman) as Bjorn, Archie Reneaux (Shadow and Bone) as Tyler, and relative newcomer Aileen Wu as Navarro.

Álvarez has revealed that Jonsson's Andy will be a Synthetic who shares a history with Spaeny's Rain as a brother figure to her:

"When her father was dying, he left Andy to be a kind of caretaker, but Andy is a bit damaged and he's an older model. So more than a surrogate father, he becomes a younger brother to her. And that was always the heart of the story: this relationship between the two... and how that relationship unfolds once shit hits the fan."

Sigourney Weaver hasn't specifically stated that she was done with the franchise--and her supposed death in Alien: Resurrection shouldn't bar her from returning. After all, Jamie Lee Curtis continues to battle Mike Myers after seven Halloween movies. However, fans hoping that Ripley might appear in the movie will likely be disappointed, as Weaver has given no hints that she's attached to the latest Alien project.

What's the Plot of 'Alien: Romulus'?

Alien movies typically focus on scientists, soldiers, or corporate employees, often in outer space or on another planet, and their usually lethal encounters with one or more Xenomorphs. And fans who point out that the "trapped with killer aliens" trope is the same in all films aren't wrong. The new movie is said to change the formula slightly by making its much-younger characters civilians rather than military, perhaps moving into Friday-the-13th teenage slasher flick territory. The action will also take place on a distant planet rather than on a spaceship or on Earth.

Like the most recent Predator movie Prey, the ninth Alien movie will be a standalone feature film with no connection to either the upcoming television series or any previous movies. In an interview with Variety, Cailee Spaeny revealed that the new film will take place between the events of the original Alien film and Aliens.

Merced also elaborated on the movie's tone and atmosphere in her interview with Collider, saying:

So, I would say it’s very claustrophobic, it’s very dark, and it’s very authentic to the first one. A lot of respect is paid and due to the original. You’re in for a familiar feeling of loyalty and care for this crew of people. On the upside, we do genuinely care for each other and we’ve stayed in touch and we’re really important to each other.

When asked if the movie would be more similar to Ridley Scott's original movie or James Cameron's sequel, Álvarez replied:

"To ask an Alien fan to choose between them is a perverse question. So I thought, 'How do I do both?' There's a moment where the characters are walking around areas familiar from the Nostromo, then they cross through that building on the other side: boom! You're in a hallway that looks like Hadley's Hope [from Aliens]."

The official plot synopsis for the film via 20th Century Studios reads:

“Alien: Romulus” 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.

Who Is Making 'Alien: Romulus'?

The continuation of the Alien franchise was officially confirmed at the 2019 CinemaCon. Initially, there was some talk that the film would connect to the plots of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant before Fede Álvarez came on board to write and direct in March 2022, Years earlier, Álvarez, a longtime fan of the Alien franchise, had casually pitched a new Alien story to Ridley Scott, who remembered Álvarez's story enough to invite him to write and direct the next film when it went into production. Álvarez is most known for directing the 2013 Evil Dead reboot as well as the 2016 sleeper hit Don't Breathe. He seems like the perfect director to capture the unique combination of science fiction and horror of the Alien movies, and 20th Century Fox picked up the project solely on the strength of Álvarez's story,

Álvarez was admittedly nervous about showing the film to Ridley Scott, particularly because the esteemed filmmaker is a tough critic. Álvarez said:

“I wanted him to see it before anybody. And everyone gave me the head’s up that Ridley is really tough. He’s really tough, particularly if it has something to do with his movies. He was really tough on ‘Blade Runner [2049],’ which I thought was a masterpiece, and he had issues with it because it’s really hard for him because it’s his work...I asked him about the new ‘Top Gun’ and he’s like ‘meh.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he was like, ‘My brother’s was original and this is like eh.’ He really respected it, but you could see how tough he was. So I was like, ‘There’s no way I win this one.'”

Fortunately, according to Álvarez, Scott had good news for the filmmaker after watching the film:

“And then he walks into the room and he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s fucking great. 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!”

Álvarez co-wrote the script with his frequent creative partner Rodo Sayagues. Ridley Scott serves as a producer on the film alongside Michael Pruss (Boston Strangler) and franchise veteran Walter Hill. Cinematographer Galo Olivares (Gretel & Hansel) served as the film's director of photography. Benjamin Wallfisch (It) composed the score for the movie.

Merced also revealed to Collider that the Xenomorph in the movie was created using practical effects, including a robot and a man in a suit. Describing the experience, Merced said:

"...seeing the Xeno for the first time. They used a robot for that. And also, they used a human being, like a really tall person, in the costume and special effects. We had two Xenos on set, at all times, and they were just terrifying. The detail is incredible. I like the Xeno nails. That’s my favorite part, the chrome nails. I’m gonna get chrome nails for the premiere. You’ll see me with them all around. They were incredible."

In an interview with Collider's Perri Nemiroff, the film's movement coordinator Alain Gauthier described what it was like training the actor playing the xenomorph on the set of the movie.

"Wow, that was an experience. I really loved every moment of it. I had to prepare a gentleman who's 7’7” and is seriously crippled. He has really serious impediments, and in physical acting, you always use what you have as an asset, and we went that way. The company that designed the whole costume for him did such an incredible job, and he totally surrendered to my work in the body and just awakened. Six weeks later, he's on set and people are mesmerized by how incredible he is, going, 'My god.' He was not an actor; he had never acted before. And so, I started with the body and then we went to the voice, and to, 'What is the character? Where is he going? What's the persona?' But we started with the body and built it from what he had to offer, and it became just the perfect creature for that moment."

When and Where Did 'Alien: Romulus' Film?

Alien: Romulus kicked off production in Budapest, Hungary on March 9, 2023. On July 3, 2023, it was revealed that filming had wrapped. In April 2024, Álvarez shared a video he took from the set of the movie of an RC Facehugger being driven around.

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