Is the “Alien” franchise on the cusp of a renaissance moment? On paper, it certainly appears that way, with Fede Álvarez‘s “Alien: Romulus” hitting theaters in August and Noah Hawley‘s FX series on the way next year. But both projects remain shrouded in secrecy despite the imminent release of “Romulus,” leaving fans flush with questions. So what’s Álvarez up to in his film, the seventh in a franchise full of highs and lows? And how much, if anything, does “Romulus” have to do with Ridley Scott‘s 1979 original and James Cameron‘s 1986 masterful sequel?
Empire has an update there with its first look at the new “Alien” sequel. Fans already knew “Romulus” takes place between “Alien” and “Aliens,” but Álvarez confirmed to the outlet he pays homage to both films in his movie as well. “To ask an “Alien” fan to choose between them is a perverse question,” the director said when asked which of the two films he prefers. “So I thought, ‘How do I do both?'” Álvarez explained that “Romulus” combines the franchise’s first two movies in several ways, particuarly in story and pacing. So expect the slow-paced dread of Scott’s film and Cameron’s swarming, action-packed approach in this latest chapter.
But Álvarez wanted the sets of “Romulus” to serve as a bridge between the two movies, too. The director styled the Renaissance Station where “Romulus” takes place off of both the Nostromo from “Alien” and Hadley’s Hope from Cameron’s film. “There’s a moment where the characters are walking around areas familiar from the Nostromo,” Álvarez continued, “then they cross through that building and on the other side: boom! You’re in a hallway that looks like Hadley’s Hope.” “Romulus” follows a group of young space colonists tasked with scavenging a derelict space station, only to realize too late that a terrifying life form is already on board. That premise already sounds like a mix between the 1979 and 1986 films, but it’s promising to hear Álvarez wanted his film’s visual to blend the two, as well.
And the hybrid nature of “Romulus” doesn’t stop there: Álvarez also has an easy human-android relationship at the center of his story, which feels like a blend between Ellen Ripley’s dynamics with Ash and Bishop, respectively. Cailee Spaeny‘s Rain is Álvarez’s heroine in “Romulus,” and she has a close but intense relationship with her android foster brother Andy, played by David Jonsson. “When her father was dying, he left Andy to be a kind of caretaker,” Álvarez said about the dynamic between the two. “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.”
“Alien” fans will remember that Ash isn’t the benevolent android he presents himself to be in Scott’s film, while Bishop in “Aliens” ends up one of Ripley’s most loyal allies. So who will Andy be to Rain in “Romulus”? Fans will have to wait until the film hits theaters on August 16 to find out. But based on Álvarez’s comment here, it sounds like his installment pays homage to the series while catapulting it in a new direction. Maybe the rumors of an “Alien” renaissance period are true after all…