The Alien franchise will be expanding to TV. According to The Hollywood Reporter, FX has an Alien TV series in the works and has cast Sydney Carter (Pistol, Don’t Worry Darling) as one of the leads. The series is still very early in its production with Chandler being the only cast member at the moment. Fargo alum Noah Hawley (Legion, The Unusuals) will serve as the showrunner.
FX hasn’t revealed any plot or character details besides the information that Chandler will be playing one of the main characters. Other information that has been revealed regarding the plot is that the show will be taking place on Earth and that it will take place before Ripley’s encounter with the Alien.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alien was given a straight-to-series order in late 2020. FX also revealed that the show isn’t meant to be a reboot of the iconic movies but rather an expansion and reinvention of the franchise. Unfortunately, the show will not feature any characters from the movies, including 80s icon Sigourney Weaver (Avatar, Master Gardener) as Ellen Ripley.
The series isn’t the only Alien project in the works. According to Deadline, ninth Alien movie is in the works at 20th Century Studios from director Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe, The Girl in the Spider’s Web). The movie will have a group of young adults on a distant planet confronting the most terrifying life form in the universe. The movie will star Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Bad Times at the El Royale) and Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City, Transformers: The Last Knight).
John Landgraf, the FX CEO, told reporters about a year ago that the TV show in the works will take place before the first Alien movie. This means that the show will be the first story of the Alien franchise to take place on Earth. Landgraf also revealed the show will be set around the end of the twenty-first century. He also said that thanks to the new setting the people involved in the show “have to think forward about the future of the planet in terms of the environment, governance, technology and create and design a version of the planet in the future.” Landgraf also revealed that showrunner Hawley “wants to do that in a distinctive and original way.”
Alien is still in early production and no release date has been announced. All Alien movies are available to rent or buy on Prime Video.