The FX series Alien is an upcoming series based on the Alien franchise created by Dan O’Bannon (The Return of the Living Dead, Dark Star) and Ronald Shusett (Dead & Buried, Total Recall). According to Deadline, production in Thailand has been halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 14th. Despite the cast being sent home, Deadline reports that crew members are continuing to work and create sets. In addition, Kit Young (Shadow and Bone, The School for Good and Evil) has been added to the cast with a one-year contract.
As Deadline notes, despite the SAG-AFTRA strike, production for Alien began on July 19th as it is an Equity production with a majority of members under Equity contracts. Some actors under SAG-AFTRA contracts were unable to join filming, such as Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling, The Golden Rut).
Now, any further filming has been paused. Deadline notes that this break was planned.
The upcoming series Alien is written and directed by Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo). It is produced by 20th Television and Scott Free Productions.
The events of FX’s Alien are set to take place seventy years before the 1979 Alien film, which was directed by Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Blade Runner). Therefore, the series is meant to serve as a prequel.
Current cast members include Chandler, Essie Davis (The Babadook, The Justice of Bunny King), Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan), Alex Lawther (The Imitation Game, The End of The F***ing World), and Samuel Blenkin (Rhyme or Die, Dracula).
Joining the cast is actor Kit Young. According to Deadline, Young will be playing a character named Tootles in the first season of Alien.
Although production has been suspended for now, fans of the Alien franchise can look forward to eventually seeing Young and the rest of the cast in this prequel series.