It’s been over 30 years since Ridley Scott introduced the world to Ellen Ripley, the crew of the Nostromo, and the alien that terrorised them in deep space. Now, Disney and FX have announced that the xenomorph will be bringing its acid-filled veins to a new TV series. Here’s all we know so far about Alien.
The new TV show was announced as part of the Disney Investor Day which took place on 10 December 2021, but other than the concept and some of the people who will be creating the project, there has yet to be any confirmation about when it might hit our screens.
What is the plot of new Alien series?
News is still pretty thin on the ground regarding the story of the new show, but one thing we do know is that the action will take place on Earth, meaning the alien finally gets to reach the planet, which was the primary concern of the four main films (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection).
Alien is currently in development at @FXNetworks. The first TV series based on the classic film series is helmed by Fargo and Legion’s @noahhawley. Expect a scary thrill ride set not too far in the future here on Earth. pic.twitter.com/jZe1CRFAZD
— Disney (@Disney)
December 10, 2020
True, the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed Alien Vs Predator movies, which took their inspiration from the comics of the same name and were written in collaboration with Alien creators Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, did bring both creatures to humanity’s homeworld, but most fans don’t regard these as canon.
We do know that this is a culmination of an age-old plan though, as the Alien-prequel movie Prometheus had the crew of the titular spacecraft discover ‘The Engineers’, a race that share DNA with humans and appeared to have developed a bioweapon that would destroy humanity by infecting them with a ‘dark liquid’ that then grows alien creatures inside them. Nice.
The tagline given by FX to accompany the new series is, ‘Expect a scary thrill ride set not too far in the future here on Earth’, which rings true to the statements from FX Chairman John Landgraf which were reported in Variety.
“…it’s the first Alien story set on Earth,’ said Landreth, ‘and by blending both the timeless horror of the first Alien film with the non-stop action of the second, it’s going to be a scary thrill ride that will blow people back in their seats.”
Who are the cast and crew of the new Alien series?
As with the plot and release date, little is known about who will star in this new Alien adventure. We do know who will be at the helm though, as it’s been confirmed that Noah Hawley will write and produce the project. He previously took charge of Fargo and Legion, so it looks like a good move for FX.
There are also apparently ongoing discussions with Ridley Scott himself, director of the original movie as well as Prometheus and Alien Covenant, who could be brought in as Executive Producer.
Where can I watch the new Alien series?
In the UK, it looks very likely that the Alien TV show will be added to the Disney+ catalogue when it’s released. In the US it’s more complicated, as Hulu carries FX shows but Disney Plus is also a service. Hopefully, things will become more defined as we get closer to the arrival of the Aliens on Earth.
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