20th Century Studios has released the first teaser trailer for “Alien: Romulus.” The film, directed by Fede Alverez, marks the franchise’s return to its sci-fi horror roots.
Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Our first look at the seventh installment of the Alien franchise is a small tease at best, but really sets the tone as to what to expect from the upcoming film. It is said to be set in between the events of “Alien” (1979) and “Aliens” (1986), and is focused on a different group of space colonizers who find themselves trapped on their ship with a terrifying new lifeform. It gives new meaning to the idea that in space no one can hear you scream.
The way that the camera moves around the corridors of this ship and you don’t hear anything but hollow echoes and a few sparks, you know youre in for something scary. Tags of his previous credits from “Don’t Breathe” and “Evil Dead” then appear, which hints at how Alverez’s vision differs from producer Ridley Scott. Although based on the tone and pacing, it looks like “Alien: Romulus” heads back to its sci-fi horror roots and is less concerned with building upon the mythology that Scott has created. But it will be interesting to see how this world connects to the one that Scott has created for us.
One thing that Alvarez seems to be keeping is the strong heroine. We get a small glimpse of Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”) armed with a heavy-duty rifle searching for what’s been killing her crew. So, it will be interesting to see how she approaches the situation. And it is a dire one with face huggers leaping and latching onto faces, xenomorphs using their secondary jaws to kill, and what looks like a new alien that uses a tentacle to slither down the throat of its victim.
The sci-fi/horror-thriller 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.
David Jonsson as Andy in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu.
Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. “Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.
“Alien: Romulus” opens exclusively in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024.
