Alien: Earth will bring us a rare sight from the Weyland-Yutani saga. No, I’m not talking about Timothy Olyphant as a non-lawman character, although that fits the bill, too. Instead, this show will bring a Xenomorph (and more) to Earth. And after horror revival king Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus shook up the box office with a back-to-basics claustrophobic atmosphere and practical effects including facehuggers run amuck, Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley will inform the world that chestbursters are here to plague all of humanity, not simply scavengers and space truckers.
Let’s scream into space on what to expect from the sci-fi/horror thrills in this upcoming FX series.
Plot
Alien: Romulus was an interquel, but Alien: Earth is something of a prequel, as long as you pretend that Prometheus and Alien: Covenant never happened. To be more specific, Alien: Earth kicks off in 2120, and the world will soon see the so-called “perfect organism” land on the third rock from the Sun. What a welcome party it shall receive, no doubt, from the sound of the synopsis:
When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat in the sci-fi horror series ‘Alien: Earth.’ As members of the crash recovery crew search for survivors among the wreckage, they encounter mysterious predatory life forms more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. With this new threat unlocked, the search crew must fight for survival and what they choose to do with this discovery could change planet Earth as they know it.
What else, exactly, will this ship contain? This new teaser indicates that five deadly new species (including the perfect one) were collected inside Weyland-Yutani’s USCSS Maginot ship.
Don’t expect this series to be entirely filled with spectacle, however.
Hawley’s revelations to Entertainment Weekly suggested that series will not tread lightly regarding how the Weyland-Yutani corporation views their space truckers as a disposable commodity. This exploration will draw parallels to matters of “equality,” and as Hawley told EW, “In mine, you’re also going to see the people who are sending [the spaceship crews]. So, you will see what happens when the inequality we’re struggling with now isn’t resolved. If we as a society can’t figure out how to prop each other up and spread the wealth, then what’s going to happen to us?”
FX chief John Landgraf has gone on record about why Hawley was hired for this gig, and those reasons have everything to do with what Hawley did with Fargo, which demonstrates an “incredible ability to both find a way of being faithful and showing fidelity to an original creation.” Not only that, but Hawley has a knack for pulling off this feat for multiple seasons, and there’s certainly the appetite for plenty of Alien, so we can cross fingers that not only will this show remain spiritually faithful to both Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens but sustain that vibe if the audience keeps tuning in.
Expect to see full-on horror, too, with Hawley informing Deadline, “There’s something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes,” and since this show takes place around the same time period as Alien, that old-school aesthetic — both with the technology on display and with Hawley stressing that he was able to “really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct” — will be jarring in an unfamiliar environment. And Hawley wasn’t done yet: “That is truly chilling to think of it moving here among us, and so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it – and you’re going to lock your door that night.”
Filming for the first season wound down late last summer, and star Sydney Chandler’s farewell Instagram post about “alien encounters” sent vibes about the hell that would break loose when a Xenomporph targeted a populous area. Deadline first revealed how Chandler’s character, Wendy, will be mentored by Kirsh, a synth portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. The Justified frontman told Vanity Fair that the “the monster takes up a lot of screen time.” Right on.
Cast
This cast is enormous. Sydney Chandler and Alex Lawther lead with Timothy Olyphant in a prominent role. Regular cast members include Kit Young, Samuel Blankin, David Rhysdal, Moe Bar-El, Adarsh Gourav, Babou Ceesay, Erana James, Essie Davis, David Rysdahl, Lily Newmark, Diêm Camille, Adrian Edmondson, and Jonathan Ajayi. Guest stars include Karen Aldridge, Max Rinehart, Enzo Cilenti, Jamie Bisping, Tom Moya, Andy Yu, Michael Smiley, Amir Boutrous, Richa Moorjani, Tanapol Chuksrida, and Victoria Masoma.
Release Date
Summer 2025 is when hell breaks loose on Earth.
Want a specific date? Join the club.
Trailer
FX has gone teaser-happy, including this cat-collar POV exploration of the Maginot. Animals don’t always fare well during Noah Hawley shows, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for curious kitty.
Content shared from uproxx.com.