Alien: Earth is an upcoming science fiction horror television series written and directed by Noah Hawley, based on the Alien franchise. The series will serve as a prequel and will be set two years before the events of the 1979 film Alien.[1] It stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav. The series is a co-production between 20th Television and Scott Free Productions, and is set to be released on FX on Hulu in the United States and internationally on Disney+ via the Star hub simultaneously in 2025.[2]
| Alien: Earth | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Noah Hawley |
| Based on | |
| Showrunner | Noah Hawley |
| Written by | Noah Hawley |
| Directed by | Noah Hawley |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Steve Annis |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | FX on Hulu |
Premise
editWhen a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat.[3]
Cast
editMain
edit- Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a woman who has the body of an adult and consciousness of a child[4]
- Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Wendy's synth mentor and trainer[4]
- Alex Lawther as CJ, a soldier[4]
- Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, a CEO[4]
- Essie Davis as Dame Silvia[5]
- Adarsh Gourav as Slightly[5]
- Kit Young as Tootles[6]
- David Rysdahl[4]
- Babou Ceesay[7]
- Jonathan Ajayi[7]
- Erana James[7]
- Lily Newmark[7]
- Diêm Camille[7]
- Adrian Edmondson[7]
Recurring
edit- Moe Bar-El[8]
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver as a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation[9]
Production
editDevelopment
editIn February 2019, Bloody Disgusting reported that two Alien television series were in development, one animated, Alien: Isolation, and one live-action, from Ridley Scott for the network FX on Hulu.[10] In December 2020, as part of Disney's Investor Day presentation, the latter television series project was officially announced to be in development for the network, with Noah Hawley as showrunner and Scott as executive producer, being set on Earth in the near future.[11][12] On February 17, 2022, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the series is a prequel taking place before the events of Alien (1979).[13] Hawley himself confirmed that the series will be tied more into the style and mythology of the original 1979 film rather than the prequel films Prometheus (2012), and Alien: Covenant (2017).[14] In April 2023, Landgraf stated that the series was in "active pre-production".[15]
Casting
editIn May 2023, Sydney Chandler was cast in the lead role,[16] followed by Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav in July.[5] Timothy Olyphant and David Rysdahl would be among those added to the cast in November 2023.[17][4][7]
Filming
editPrincipal photography was scheduled to begin in March 2022, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] Production on the series began on July 19, 2023, in Thailand.[5] Filming (without American actress Sydney Chandler) was allowed to occur during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike due to the series' British cast working under an Equity contract.[18][5] In late August, the production was halted due to the strike.[6] Filming resumed in April 2024,[9] and wrapped in mid-July.[19] Steve Annis serves as a cinematographer.[20]
Release
editIn August 2024, a 16 second teaser of the series with a 2025 release date was shown during select screenings of Alien: Romulus.[21]
References
edit- ^ Cordero, Rosy (November 20, 2024). "Noah Hawley's 'Alien: Earth' Teases Premiere As New Details & Teaser Are Revealed". Deadline. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudiosAUNZ/videos/alien-earth-official-teaser/1047390847062536/
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (September 3, 2024). "FX's Alien Earthbound Series From Noah Hawley Drops Logline & Teaser". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Grobar, Matt (November 28, 2023). "Noah Hawley's Alien Adds David Rysdahl". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Shackleton, Liz; Andreeva, Nellie (July 20, 2023). "'Alien': Alex Lawther & Samuel Blenkin Among Quartet Cast As FX Series Starts Production With No SAG-AFTRA Actors Amid Strike". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (August 29, 2023). "Alien: Kit Young Added To Cast; FX Series Halts Filming Amid SAG-AFTRA Strike". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Otterson, Joe (November 29, 2023). "Noah Hawley's Alien Series at FX Rounds Out Main Cast (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (January 4, 2023). "Moe Bar-El Joins Alien TV Series As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (April 19, 2024). "FX's Alien Series Adds Foundation Actress Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Filming Continues In Thailand". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (February 13, 2019). "[Rumor] Two 'Alien' Franchise TV Shows in the Works, One from Ridley Scott and Hulu?".
- ^ Scott, Ryan (December 10, 2020). "Alien TV Show Is Coming to FX, Will Take Place on Earth". MovieWeb. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (July 1, 2021). "New Alien TV Series Will Be Class Warfare With Xenomorphs". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Hibberd, James (February 17, 2022). "FX Gives New Details on 'Alien' TV Series, Teases "Big Surprises"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Brew, Caroline (January 14, 2024). "Noah Hawley Explains Why 'Prometheus' and 'Covenant' Are 'Inherently Less Useful' for 'Alien' Prequel Series". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Wilding, Josh (April 6, 2023). "Alien: Noah Hawley's Upcoming TV Series Gets A Positive Update From FX Boss John Landgraf". Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 1, 2023). "FX's 'Alien' TV Series Taps Sydney Chandler to Star". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 27, 2023). "Alien: Timothy Olyphant Joins Noah Hawley's FX Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Cobb, Kayla (November 8, 2023). "Alien Series Aiming to Premiere in 'First Half' of 2025, According to Noah Hawley". The Wrap. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Dunn, Jack; Hailu, Selome (July 17, 2024). "FX's Alien Series Gets Official Title Alien: Earth". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ "Steve Annis". LUX Artists. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (August 21, 2024). "Watch the Short Teaser for FX Series Alien: Earth That Debuted in Theaters Over the Weekend". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 19, 2024.