Following the mixed to positive reviews of theAlienprequels,PrometheusandAlien: Covenant, Fede Álvarez’s newest entry in the franchise,Alien: Romulus, has helped to reestablish the sci-fi horror series as one of the best.
Set between the events of the firstAlienmovie and its sequel,Aliens,Romulusachieves the delicate balance of replicating some of the best moments in the original two films, while also creating plenty of new terrors for viewers to behold. From the practical effects to the riveting performances of the new characters at the story’s center,Romulusset the bar high for what a newAlienfilm could bring to the table.
In a new interview withEmpire Magazine, Álvarezhas teased what fans can expect from asequel toRomulus. Specifically, the directoracknowledged how the film stayed closer in tone and style to what was more familiar and iconic in theAlienfranchise, and how a sequel would explore more unknown territory with the characters introduced inRomulus(more than likelyCailee Spaeny’scharacter Rain, who was the only one alive by the film’s end). He said:
“We’re excited about where it can go. We’ve almost checked all of the boxes of things that I want to see [inRomulus] and brought back a lot of the things I hadn’t seen in a while.Wherever we go now, we can go into uncharted waters. I think it’ll be so exciting to go with characters you know from this movie to a place in theAlienfranchise that we’ve never been before and to discover things that you’ve never seen before."
Future ‘Alien’ Films Could Follow in the Footsteps of The Prequels
When reading Álvarez’s comments about exploring uncharted territory in anAlien:Romulussequel, one can’t help but think back to Sir Ridley Scott’s attempts to explore new ideas of his own inPrometheusandAlien:Covenant. While the latter film would lean more into the horror aspects of earlierAlienfilms,it wasPrometheus, a film that didn’t even haveAlienin the title, that would go on to explore exciting new concepts within the universe that Scott helped create.
Romuluswouldbriefly acknowledge the events ofPrometheusin a small scene that features the black substance at the center of that film, whichcould mean that any future installment might explore more of the ideas introduced in that film.
Alien: Earth Creator Takes Franchise Back to its Horror Roots With New Xenomorph
Alien: Earth creator Noah Hawley put a lot of his own ideas into his show’s Xenomorph.
Thankfully, Álvarez isn’t making a sequel just because of thefinancial success ofRomulus, but due to his belief and excitement in the story. As he explained to Empire,“The mistake usually with sequels is to make them because you can, and because of the success ofRomulus, we definitely can make a sequel. But I wouldn’t do it unless we have a really good idea for it, something that’s worthy of the title.”
Whatever direction Álvarez decides to take the sequel, theAlienfranchise has a bright future. In addition to the upcoming film, fans can look forward to theFX seriesAlien: Earth, developed byFargocreator Noah Hawleyand set to premiere this summer. With books, video games, and more left to be announced, theworld ofAlienstill has so much more room to grow in uncharted territory.
Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
