A new Alien series is in the works, courtesy of FX and Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), and FX president John Landgraf shared some tantalizing details about the project during the Television Critics Association press conference this week in Los Angeles. The absence of characters from the previous films (including Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley) has long been speculated about, but Landgraf has now revealed further details about the themes and overtures that the show is expected to address.
This Alien limited series was revealed at the Disney Investor Day presentation in December 2020, and it will premiere in December 2020. The following is what Landgraf had to say about the upcoming Alien series, without giving anything away:
“Alien takes place before Ripley. It’s the first story in the Alien franchise that takes place on Earth. It takes place on our planet, near the end of this century we’re currently in – 70 odd years from now. All I can tell you is Ripley won’t be a part of it, and neither will any other characters – other than the alien itself. There are some big surprises in store for the audience.”
Because Alien is such a popular series, it’s reasonable that some fans are dubious, especially considering the fact that the material has never been taken off the big screen before. It’s another change from the intimidating, ‘scream less ‘void of space that fans have come to anticipate from Ridley Scott and his films. This time, the action takes place on real ground, rather than in space. Landgraf, on the other hand, had the following to say when asked what will continue to appeal to fans:
“I hope they will feel like it’s faithful to the franchise they love but also a brave and original reinvention of that franchise. Setting it on Earth is really interesting. We have to think forward about the future of the planet in terms of the environment, governance, technology and create and design a version of the planet in the future … Noah wants to do that in a distinctive and original way.”
When it comes to television, Hawley is a force to be reckoned with, having reimagined beloved properties like Fargo and the X-Men (through Legion) for the cable channel. This is especially true with Fargo, which serves as a good demonstration of his ability to adapt the strongest components of an IP for the small screen medium. Fargo, which was just renewed for a fifth season, will take a little step forward in terms of production, with Landgraf stating that Fargo must film this winter. There are presently additional scripts for Alien in development, however, the setting of this Fargo season will very certainly necessitate a winter location and shoot for the show.
There is no set release date for the Alien series on FX at this time.
