Alien series creator Noah Hawley expresses hope that the show's fresh earth-bound narrative will become a trend in upcoming Alien projects, stating, "There's a striking lack of mythology in the seven films."
In the vast and intricate world of the Alien franchise, three new projects - Alien: Earth, Alien: Romulus, and Predator: Badlands - are set to make their mark. While these titles share common threads within the Alien universe, they run on separate narrative tracks without a fully integrated continuity.
Alien: Earth, set to hit screens in a matter of days, is a prequel to the original Alien film, taking place two years before the events unfold. The story is set in a world governed by five mega-corporations, including Weyland-Yutani, the infamous corporation central to the Alien mythos. Prodigy, one of the corporations, is developing a new hybrid technology, led by the young genius Boy Kavalier.
Meanwhile, Predator: Badlands is also set to release this year, featuring a Weyland-Yutani synthetic character named Thia. The film is a standalone story with a small link via the corporation, avoiding a full Alien vs Predator crossover.
The creators of these projects have had conversations to avoid duplication of story or inadvertent mimicry. Noah Hawley, the creator of Alien: Earth, hopes his earth-bound backstory might be embraced more broadly but admits the projects are currently "on separate tracks". Disney, the parent company for the film and TV divisions where these projects are being produced, has allowed each production independence to tell the story they want.
In Alien: Earth, a perfect organism crash-lands in New Siam, which is owned by Prodigy. The purpose of the Space Jockey, a mysterious character from the original Alien, remains unanswered in Alien: Earth, but Hawley does not rule out its involvement in future seasons.
Alien: Earth's two-episode premiere streams on Hulu in the US on August 12 and on Disney Plus in the UK on August 13. Subsequent episodes stream weekly.
In another corner of the Alien universe, Alien: Romulus introduces subtle links to the original films, such as Ripley’s Narcissus shuttle appearing at a space station. However, Alien: Earth and Alien: Romulus are given independence by their creators to tell their own stories, separate from each other.
David Zucker of Scott Free, a production company involved in the Alien franchise, indicates that conversations about TV projects like Alien: Earth crossing over with films like Alien: Romulus were previously unapproachable. Despite this, the creators are committed to maintaining the integrity and autonomy of each project within the broader Alien universe.
- The new streaming platform Hulu will carry the two-episode premiere of Alien: Earth on August 12 in the US, with Disney Plus streaming the same series in the UK on August 13.
- Alien: Earth, set to release soon, is a prequel to the original Alien film and takes place two years before the events unfold, set in a world governed by five mega-corporations, including Weyland-Yutani.
- Prodigy, one of the corporations, is developing a new hybrid technology in Alien: Earth, led by the young genius Boy Kavalier.
- News about upcoming movies and TV series in the Alien universe includes Alien: Romulus, with subtle links to the original films but given independence by the creators to tell its own story.
- Disney, the parent company for the film and TV divisions, has allowed each production independence to tell the story they want, maintaining the integrity and autonomy of each project within the broader Alien universe.
