ALIEN: ROMULUS
Movies

First “Alien: Romulus” Trailer Reveals the “Interquel” Connecting Franchise’s Most Iconic Films

March 20, 2024
By The Credits

The Alien franchise is taking us back to its roots.

Director Fede Alvarez has unveiled the first look at his Alien: Romulus, which has been approved by both Ridley Scott and James Cameron and is connected to their films in the venerable sci-fi horror franchise. Getting Scott and Cameron’s approval is the highest possible praise the director could get, especially for a film that’s being billed as an “interquel,” connecting the franchise’s two most iconic installments, Scott’s Alien (1979) and Cameron’s Aliens (1986).

Romulus is centered on a crew of young space colonists who come into contact with a fearsome Xenomorph, the acid-spewing, multiple-mouthed creature that literally burst onto the scene in Scott’s original. In Alien, Sigourney Weaver’s indomitable Ellen Ripley battled and eventually vanquished the aforementioned Xenomorph after a grueling duel aboard the spaceship the USCSS Nostromo. James Cameron picked up the story seven years later with Aliens, which followed Ripley joining a military mission to a space colony to investigate a fresh xenomorph attack. Romulus slots between these two films and boasts an ensemble of young performers led by Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.

Alvarez revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that his idea to focus on these younger characters was drawn from a deleted scene from Aliens. 

“There’s a moment where you see a bunch of kids running [and riding a big wheel] around the corridors of this colony. And I thought, ‘Wow, what would it be like for those kids to grow up in a colony that still needs another 50 years to terraform?’” Álvarez told The Hollywood Reporter. “So I remember thinking, ‘If I ever tell a story in that world, I would definitely be interested in those kids when they reach their early twenties.’”

At the Gotham Awards this past November, the annual celebration of independent film, Priscilla star Cailee Spaeny revealed to Variety that a lot of the same people involved in Cameron’s Aliens worked on Romulus:

“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie,” Spaeny told Variety. “They brought the same team from Aliens, the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. So getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible.”

Spaeny also said that Romulus was an opportunity to play in a world she loved growing up.

“I love watching those old ‘70s, ‘80s action sci-fi films. And I’m such a fan of that IP and Sigourney Weaver. It’s legendary to get to be a part of it.”

For more stories on 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, Marvel Studios and what’s streaming or coming to Disney+, check these out:

Darkness Rises in “The Acolyte” Trailer, Revealing a New Kind of “Star Wars” Series

Disney+’s New “Star Wars” Series “The Acolyte” Unveils Premiere Date

The Sartorial Feast of Feudal Japan with “Shōgun” Costume Designer Carlos Rosario – Part Two

The Sartorial Feast of Feudal Japan with “Shōgun” Costume Designer Carlos Rosario: Part One

Featured image: Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TAGS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Credits

The Credits is an online magazine that tells the story behind the story to celebrate our large and diverse creative community. Focusing on profiles of below-the-line filmmakers, The Credits celebrates the often uncelebrated individuals who are indispensable to the films and TV shows we love.