We are five years removed from Ridley Scott’s last Alien movie, but you didn’t think the Xenomorphs were going to say goodbye for good, did you? Alongside an upcoming FX series coming together, word on the street is there is going to be a standalone Alien film, and this time around the Don’t Breathe director is taking on the project.
Horror director Fede Alvarez is set to write and direct a new Alien movie for 20th Century Studios, per The Hollywood Reporter. Alongside the filmmaker’s work in 2016 horror film Don’t Breathe, he made the 2013 remake of Evil Dead and 2018’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web.
Ridley Scott, who famously helmed the original 1979 film alongside the last two prequel films, Prometheus and Covenant, is set to produce this new film. It looks like the next Alien movie will be on a smaller scale considering it is expected to debut on Hulu rather than the big screen. Plot details of Alvarez’s movie remain mysterious for now, but it apparently will not be connected to the other Alien movies.
Alvarez is reportedly a huge Alien fan and “casually pitched” an idea for another Alien movie to Ridley Scott years ago. The pitch had a lasting effect on the legendary Alien filmmaker, and late last year, Scott called Alvarez to ask him if he still wanted to make it. And as it turns out, it’s hard to say “no” to contributing to the iconic horror/science fiction franchise, especially to Scott himself.
20th Century’s film division president Steve Asbell said that the project will come to Hulu instead of a traditional theatrical release along with why the studio picked it up. In his words:
It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before… It’s not a film that has to be all things to all people with those gargantuan budgets. They get to be authentically what they are. And this is closer to its genre roots.
It certainly sounds like Fede Alvarez’s Alien movie will operate closer to the original Alien movie, which was a tight science fiction/horror film. Since the popularity of the first movie, many of the subsequent entries have leaned more towards blockbuster-level science fiction instead. Additionally, Asbell’s words could mean the pitch itself leans more to the left of the mainstream.
With some of the Alien franchise’s struggles to remain relevant (or at least bring something refreshing to the table), Fede Alvarez’s pitch could be just what it needs. Alvarez has operated best with his contained horror films, especially with 2016’s Don’t Breathe, which recently received a sequel (Alvarez did not direct) that critics were not too keen on, but fans enjoyed overall.
Alvarez has not directed a movie since 2018, but he recently helmed a great horror Apple TV+ series titled Calls. We’ll be stoked to see how his Alien movie shakes out. Until then, check out what upcoming horror movies are coming our way first.