The “Alien” franchise seems to be thriving at the moment after “Alien: Romulus” landing a direct sequel after winning over audiences, and Noah Hawley‘s incoming Earthbound prequel series “Alien: Earth” looks to explore the villainous corporate side of the franchise as multiple cutthroat companies (considered just as dangerous in this sci-fi universe and are running Earth like governments) look to rush to a crash site of a Weyland-Yutani-owned ship to acquire valuable organic (bio-weapons?) samples, that include various deadly alien creatures, alongside the Xenomorph.
When it comes to the timeline, the show is set between the events of Ridley Scott‘s “Prometheus” (Scott’s production company, Scott Free, is the modern steward of the franchise) and his original “Alien.” Hawley, the show’s creator and showrunner, spoke with Total Film about the relationship between the TV and film divisions, alongside how the newly added mythology/elements in “Earth” could be added to the films.
“Both the film division and TV division are existing in their own worlds, really…I think we talked to the degree that we’re trying to avoid duplication of story or inadvertent mimicry of something I might do or something that Dan [Trachtenberg] might do. But in general, they’re not all coordinated. What I’ve suggested, since there’s a surprising paucity of mythology in the seven films, other than there’s a company called Weyland-Yutani, about how humanity is organized. I’ve said ‘Well, you know, so if this show is a prequel to the movies and I’ve made some choices about how humanity is organized, it might be helpful if you adopt those should the issue come up in your films. But otherwise, we’re not really coordinating with each other,” Hawley said of the relationship between film and TV, for the moment, not exactly being hugely coordinated.
What is interesting here is the direct the mention of Trachtenberg, who is obviously including company-built androids (Thia is played by Elle Fanning), human colonists, a possible early version of the Colonial Marines from James Cameron‘s “Aliens” (lifted from Robert A. Heinlein bug-stomping space marines novel “Starship Troopers“) and the colonizing efforts of Weyland-Yuanti. “Predator: Badlands” has become the first solo “Predator” entry to not only feature off-world colonists in a future setting, but is directly linked to the “Alien” franchise, not just teases like the Xeno skull in “Predator 2” or the non-canonical “AVP” crossover pics from the 2000s.
There has been some speculation from trailers that “Badlands” might be 20th Century Studios testing the waters for a more faithful and accurate version of “AVP,” closer to the expanded source material from the comics and video games. Setting the film in the distant future could also possibly allow for a crossover with the characters from “Romulus” as a direct sequel in the works, and could ultimately morph into another entry point for a new “AVP.”
It remains to be seen if “Alien: Earth” could inform or tease that assumed crossover, or have any hints towards the “Predator” universe, even things that might not pay off for a couple of years.
An official logline for the series spinoff from FX:
In the year 2120 (two years before the events of the original “Alien”), the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype, named “Wendy,” marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, “Wendy” and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
The Playlist has already reviewed “Alien: Earth,” and our thoughts on the latest story in the Xenomorph saga can be read right here.
“Alien: Earth” premieres today on Hulu and Disney+ in international markets. You can watch the newest teaser for the sci-fi horror series below.
Alien: Earth creator Noah Hawley on how the new show could connect to future Alien and Predator movies pic.twitter.com/8SG6q4u2Hj
— Total Film (@totalfilm) August 12, 2025
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