The latest installment, Alien: Romulus, has arrived, and this addition to the Alien franchise—initiated by Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece—is generating a lot of buzz. This standalone Alien movie seems to return to Scott’s roots by revisiting the original film’s horror elements, featuring an ensemble cast and a terrifying storyline.
Since the release of the original Alien, the franchise has expanded with prequels, sequels, and spin-offs. However, despite the popularity of the 1979 original and James Cameron’s sequel Aliens, the franchise has been in a bit of a slump lately. But Romulus appears poised to change that. To understand where this new feature fits within the Alien timeline, read on for spoilers.
Alien: Romulus is set between the events of Scott’s original Alien and Cameron’s sequel Aliens, making it an interquel. In 2023, Cailee Spaeny told Variety that the movie is “supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie.” She explained that many members of the production crew from Aliens returned to help craft the xenomorphs. Director Fede Alvarez also noted that he sought advice from Scott and Cameron for the film, stating, “[Alien: Romulus] takes place 20 years after the first one, and for me, I don’t see it as upsetting the canon. It’s something I take personal pleasure in doing, making sure that it all tracks and is all part of the big Alien franchise story—not only in the story but also in how to make it.”
While the first Alien took place in 2122 and Aliens occurred in 2183, Alien: Romulus is set in 2142—two decades after the original and four decades before the sequel. This means Romulus takes place not only after the first two Alien films but also after Scott’s prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which occurred in 2093 and 2104 A.D. Additionally, it takes place decades before Alien 3, which happens shortly after Aliens, and about two hundred years before Alien Resurrection. Since the two Alien vs. Predator movies are not considered part of the main Alien canon, there’s no connection between them and Romulus.
Several elements in the movie indicate its connection to the timeline. The film’s opening sequence features the company retrieving a fossilized Xenomorph from a meteor, which later turns out to be the monster from the original movie. Additionally, the space station is split into two halves, Remus and Romulus, each corresponding to elements from the earlier films.
Besides this, there’s another major Alien project underway—a Hulu series, Alien: Earth, set three decades before the original 1979 film.
Alien: Romulus is currently playing in theaters.
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