What to make of Fede Álvarez‘s “Alien: Romulus“? Fans still don’t know much about the upcoming sequel’s as its August 16 theatrical release approaches. There’s been bits of chatter about the movie here and there, however. Last October, Alvarez revealed that Ridley Scott called an early director’s cut of the film “f*cking great.” And star Cailee Spaeny revealed last November that “Romulus” is a standalone story between Scott’s 1979 original and James Cameron‘s 1986 sequel. But as for plot details, a setting, and so forth? No one really knows anything, except this cryptic longline: “young people from a distant world must face the most terrifying life form in the universe.”
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“Alien: Romulus” actor David Jonsson added more mystique to the movie in a recent interview with MovieWeb. “I mean, I’m not too sure what I can say just yet, but I know that… it’s very, very, very different,” said the young British actor. “I think “Alien” was slightly before my generation, in terms of its depth and its impact at the time, but you know, we have such an incredible spin on it. And we had Fede Álvarez as our director, Ridley Scott producing it. It was incredible to work with those people, and opposite Cailee Spaeny, who is just a brilliant actress. I think it’s going to be cool. I’m very excited.”
Jonsson’s comments should pique “Alien” fans’ curiosity: how different is “very, very, very different”? And different from what, Scott’s original? The released logline for “Romulus” makes it sound like a slasher set in space, which Scott’s movie arguably already is. So if Álvarez’s film provides “an incredible spin” on the series, then it’s going to need a different set-up than an isolated spaceship and a xenomorph picking characters off one by one. And without more details, anything further would be simply speculation.
But here’s what we do know about “Alien: Romulus.” Along with Spaeny and Jonsson, the film also stars Isabela Merced, Archie Reneaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. Along with directing, Álvarez also co-writes the script with Rodo Sayagues, his collaborator from his “Evil Dead” remake and “Don’t Breathe.” And 20th Century Films originally had “Romulus” set for an exclusive streaming release on Hulu before switching it to a theatrical release last summer. Oh, and Spaeny teased last November that the crew who built the xenomorphs in Cameron’s film are back to design this movie’s creature.
Beyond that, however, “Alien: Romulus” remains a mystery, including whether it ties into Noah Hawley‘s upcoming “Alien” TV series for FX On Hulu. That show won’t hit the streamer until the first half of 2025, so there’s even less info circulating about that project. But here’s a cast list for those interested: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, Kit Young, David Rysdahl, and Timothy Olyphant. Hawley is currently shooting the series in Thailand.
So when will 20th Century have their first look at “Alien: Romulus” ready for fans? Something should get revealed soon, so stay tuned for a first-look image or a teaser of some kind.