Director Fede Álvarez (“Evil Dead” 2013, “Don’t Breathe“) is finally rolling cameras on his upcoming “Alien” film. “Alien: Romulus” is the current the working title, but it does raise some intrigue. Filming will take place in Budapest, Hungary with Caelie Spaeny starring. Very little is known about the film or its details, but we’ll surmise as best we can.
Álvarez wrote the script with longtime collaborator Rodo Sayagues. But this isn’t a new screenplay. The filmmaker pitched his idea to Ridley Scott several years ago. So it’s been waiting in the wings to be made. Scott apparently contacted Álvarez in the hopes that he was still keen on making the film.
Steve Asbell of 20th Century Studios said the project was greenlit “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch.” That must be some screenplay. There’s also perhaps a glimmer of hope for a return to the more deliberate, tense, and unsettling approach of the original “Alien” film. (If you haven’t picked up the 40th anniversary 4K yet, you should!) Because this project is being made for Hulu, there’s less emphasis on being a bombastic theater release.
Dare We Be Excited?
“It’s not a film that has to be all things to all people with those gargantuan budgets,” Asbell said. “They get to be authentically what they are. And this is closer to its genre roots.” This movie also won’t be connected in any way to other movies in the franchise. There’s something a little exciting about that.
For those of us who have bemoaned the recent films and sighed heavily at CG Xenomorphs attacking like a mass of fire ants, there’s perhaps a hope that this might infuse the IP with some new blood. A smaller, reduced “Alien” flick might just be what the franchise needs to become terrifying again. And as far as we can tell, this project has nothing to do with Noah Hawley‘s “Alien” tv series for FX.
As for the title, there’s a lot of head scratching as to what Romulus might mean. For us super nerds, Romulus was the first king of Rome. Perhaps it’s some sort of twisted take on the story of Romulus and twin brother, Remus. Which you could certainly come at from a few angles. We’ll just have to see! Given shooting won’t begin until February, we’re unlikely to see the film finished until late 2023 or even 2024. We’ll just have to stay tuned!
“Alien: Romulus” will be available on streaming much like the most recent Predator film, “Prey.”
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