A new Alien movie is confirmed to be in the works, with original Alien director Ridley Scott as producer, and Don't Breathe director Fede Álvarez at the helm. Only last year it was confirmed that Noah Hawley would be delivering an Alien TV series, and now, it looks like the popular Alien franchise is set to get even bigger, with a seventh movie on the horizon.
It has been confirmed that a brand-new Alien movie is in the works. However, while it will be the seventh movie in the series (or ninth if you include the two Alien vs. Predator entries), it will apparently be unrelated to the sequels.
Exactly what this means is unclear, as it's similar to what was said about Prometheus prior to its release in 2012, with director Ridley Scott, who also directed Alien (1979) and Alien: Covenant (2017), describing the prequel as having only "strands of Alien DNA".
Nevertheless, some details have been revealed about the upcoming project, including who will be producing and who will be directing. Ridley Scott will fill take on the former role, while Don't Breathe director Fede Álvarez, will be taking on the latter.
Based on Don't Breathe alone, it's fair to say that Álvarez is no stranger to horror, but he's also responsible for the 2013 Evil Dead reboot, which gave us buckets of tension and gore, something many of the Alien sequels themselves are no stranger to. However, the original Alien is best known for its less-is-more approach and nail-biting suspense.
Much like the upcoming Predator sequel, Prey, the new and as-yet-untitled Alien movie will head for streaming service Hulu, as part of 20th Century Fox's plan to make 10+ movies per year for the Disney streaming service platform (not to be confused with Disney+).
So far, the Alien franchise has enjoyed four main movies, two prequels, and two spin-offs, and not to mention waves upon waves of merchandise over the decades, including a huge number of comic books, novels, and video games.
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The first movie, which was released in 1979, was a game-changer for the horror genre, fusing suspense-horror with a creature seen mostly in the shadows, evoking memories of the likes of Jaws and Halloween, both movies which were barely years old by the time Alien hit theaters. Needless to say, the '70s was the decade in which suspense horror was born.
Its 1986 sequel, Aliens, which was directed by James Cameron, was a huge hit, and went on to become one of the most beloved sequels of all time. It's a movie that honors the original, while at the same time expanding the universe in new and exciting ways, offering up a sci-fi action horror, as opposed to the taut, simplistic, white-knuckle horror of the original.
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Alien 3 (1992) remains a bone of contention within the franchise, as it kills off two beloved characters from the previous movie (three if you include Ripley's ultimate demise). Alien: Resurrection (1997), however, is your seemingly-must-have laughing stock of the pile, something each horror franchise can't seem to exist without.
The two Alien vs Predator movies, Alien vs Predator (2004) and Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007) left a lot to be desired, though it's fair to say that the original is a masterpiece compared to its horrendous sequel. And when all seemed quiet among the stars for a few years, along came Ridley Scott's highly-anticipated prequel Prometheus, in 2012.
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It's a film that continues to divide the fanbase. While ambitious, its convoluted and incoherent plot couldn't feel any further removed from Alien if it tried, and only really attempts to serve as a prequel during its third act. Its sequel, Alien: Covenant (2017), while offering up a brilliant first and second act, did little to remedy the flaws of its predecessor.
As for the upcoming movie, it's unknown how it will form part of the overall franchise, but sources say that it will be "unconnected" to previous movies. As such, it's also unclear whether it will be in any way connected to Noah Hawley's upcoming Alien TV series, which may also be completely unconnected to the movies.
It's alleged that Álvarez pitched the script to Ridley Scott many years ago, which is the very script (though having likely undergone changes, no doubt) that's now being developed into a new movie. 20th Century Fox's division president Steve Asbell has described the script as, "It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven't seen before."
It's unknown as to when the new Alien movie will be released, and the same goes for Noah Hawley's Alien TV series.
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