Things We Saw Today: Fede Alvarez to Direct New ‘Alien’ Film

You can’t keep a good Xenomorph down. 20th Century Studios, Hulu and Ridley Scott are producing the next film in the Alien franchise. Horror director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) will write and direct the seventh entry into Alien saga, which began with Scott’s 1979 iconic horror film Alien. Alvarez’s film will not be connected to the original quadrilogy, but will instead be a standalone feature with all new characters. And once again, my cries for another installment of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley go unanswered.

The new Alien film joins Hulu’s upcoming Alien series spearheaded by Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion). FX Networks head John Landgraf described the series saying, “It’s the first story in the Alien franchise that takes place on Earth. It takes place on our planet, near the end of this century we’re currently in — 70-odd years from now,” said Landgraf, adding “All I can tell you is Ripley won’t be a part of it, and neither will any other characters — other than the alien itself. Noah has an incredible ability to both find a way of being faithful and showing fidelity to an original creation, like to the Coen brothers [with Fargo] or to Ridley Scott’s movie and James Cameron’s follow-up Aliens, but also to bring something new that represents both an extension and reinvention of a franchise at the same time. He’s done a masterful job with Alien as he did with Fargo. There are some big surprises in store for the audience.”

Hawley previously mentioned that his series would focus on the nefarious Weyland-Yutani corporation, saying “On some level it’s also a story about inequality, … You know, one of the things that I love about the first movie is how ’70s a movie it is, and how it’s really this blue collar space-trucker world in which Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton are basically Waiting for Godot. They’re like Samuel Beckett characters, ordered to go to a place by a faceless nameless corporation. The second movie is such an ’80s movie, but it’s still about grunts. Paul Reiser is middle management at best. So, it is the story of the people you send to do the dirty work. In mine, you’re also going to see the people who are sending them.”

(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: 20th Century Fox)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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