The Next Alien Sequel Is Losing The Franchise's New Secret Weapon
Fresh acidic blood.
The Alien movies have long attracted some big-name — or soon-to-be big-name — directors to show off their chops. After sci-fi legend Ridley Scott established the story in Alien, a pre-Titanic James Cameron stepped in next for Aliens, followed by future iconic thriller director (and possible Squid Game remaker) David Fincher in Alien 3.
Now, it appears Alien’s current era will follow the same pattern of letting new directors continually take over rather than get bogged down in one person’s vision. Can the franchise find new success with an old formula?
While speaking to TooFab at Hollywood Horror Nights, Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez revealed he won’t be directing the sequel to Romulus, although he will still be involved. “We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for Romulus. But I'm gonna pass the torch on this one as director,” he said. “I'm going to produce it, with Ridley Scott, we're gonna produce it together, and we're right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in.”
Director Fede Álvarez is producing the next Alien movie, but won’t direct it.
Álvarez acknowledged the precedent within the series, and that, in a way, he’s honoring the franchise’s long history of helping new filmmakers make their names with a blockbuster. “I think that's usually what has happened, except for Ridley, filmmakers come, you make one and you pass the baton to the next one," he said, alluding to Ridley Scott’s return for the prequel movies Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
Álvarez’s departure may disappoint fans, as Alien: Romulus, set between Alien and Aliens, was generally seen as a return to form for the franchise that captured the early films’ grimy, paranoid thrills. A new director taking over means another roll of the dice to see if the magic can continue.
While Álvarez is eager to get new blood in the director’s chair, he does specify that it takes a certain type of filmmaker to bring the Alien world to life. “We wrote the story because we really love what we started with Romulus and we want to continue the story,” he said. “We love the story and now we just want to find a director that really wants to go for the jugular.”
The Alien franchise is cautiously moving into other media, but the movies will always be the centerpiece. Now, the search is on for someone who can follow the showstopper that was Alien: Romulus. Fresh blood can be a good thing — let’s just hope the next movie is more Aliens and less Resurrection.
