Alien is a science-fiction horror and action media franchise centered on the film series which depicts warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her battles with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as “the Alien” or Xenomorph.
Produced and distributed by 20th Century Studios, the series began with Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, and was followed by three sequels: Aliens (1986), directed by James Cameron; Alien 3 (1992), directed by David Fincher, and Alien Resurrection (1997), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Scott also directed a prequel series, composed of Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), which follows the exploits of the David 8 android and the creators of the eponymous creatures referred to as the “Engineers”.
The series has led to numerous novels, comics, video games and an upcoming television series developed by Scott for FX on Hulu, with Noah Hawley. It has inspired a number of spin-offs – most notably the Alien vs. Predator series, which combines the continuities of the Alien franchise with the Predator franchise and consists of two films as well as various series of comics, books, and video games.
“Alien: Romulus” will have a stand-alone story that works independently of the previous films. This means that it will not tie in with the plot of “Prometheus”, “Covenant” or the original films. The makers say that they don’t just want to give die-hard fans access to the franchise. They also want to give newcomers the chance to enter the world of “Alien”.
The new film will be set exactly between the first and second parts. So it is highly doubtful that we will get to see Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, as she ends up flying through space in a sleeping pod.
The plot of “Romulus” centers on a group of young men and women on a remote outpost. They come into contact with the famous Facehuggers – the creatures that lay eggs in humans to create the dreaded Xenomorphs. It is not yet known whether the story will be confined to one location – or whether there will be just one movie or further sequels.
