Series / Features
A New 'Alien' Is Coming This Week! How 'Alien: Earth' Fits Into The Film Series
This week introduces 'Alien: Earth,' expanding the franchise with thrilling and classic horror elements.
Fans of the Alien franchise are in for a treat this week with the release of Alien: Earth, the first series within the universe. Directed by Noah Hawley and produced by FX, this show brings Xenomorphs to Earth for the first time, not counting the Alien vs. Predator films.
The story revolves around a group of 'hybrids', synthetic beings with the consciousness of human children, employed by the Prodigy company to investigate a crashed ship. Onboard are several Xenomorphs owned by the notorious Weyland-Yutani, now forced to watch their bounty taken over by the competition.
Alien: Earth takes place in 2120, two years before the events of Ridley Scott's Alien from 1979. This means the narrative occurs right before the ill-fated Nostromo mission. Hawley even hinted that the series might reveal what happened on the 'other side of the phone' when Weyland-Yutani sent the Nostromo to LV-426.
The later films, Aliens and Alien 3, happen 57 years later, while Alien: Resurrection is set 202 years after Alien 3. Therefore, don’t expect many direct connections to those later installments, although Weyland-Yutani will still play a significant role here.
The series comes 22 years before Alien: Romulus, the hit film from 2024 set between Alien and Aliens. While Romulus featured important elements from Prometheus and Alien, Alien: Earth will largely skip over those prequels. Hawley has indicated that he drew inspiration primarily from Alien and Aliens, not from Ridley Scott's origin stories.
Fans hoping for more information on the 'Prometheus Strain' introduced in Romulus may be disappointed: Alien: Earth opts for a simpler approach, focusing on tension and classic horror elements.
Though the Alien timeline now spans nearly three centuries, Hawley wanted to keep the series accessible. "If you try to follow everything, you’ll drive yourself crazy," he said during SXSW. Therefore, Alien: Earth is crafted to engage both new viewers and seasoned fans, with no prior knowledge necessary.
With positive early reviews and a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes, this approach seems effective. How the series events will connect to Alien or Aliens will soon be revealed: Alien: Earth premieres on August 12 with two episodes on FX Hulu and internationally on Disney+.
The story revolves around a group of 'hybrids', synthetic beings with the consciousness of human children, employed by the Prodigy company to investigate a crashed ship. Onboard are several Xenomorphs owned by the notorious Weyland-Yutani, now forced to watch their bounty taken over by the competition.
Set Just Before The Original Film
Alien: Earth takes place in 2120, two years before the events of Ridley Scott's Alien from 1979. This means the narrative occurs right before the ill-fated Nostromo mission. Hawley even hinted that the series might reveal what happened on the 'other side of the phone' when Weyland-Yutani sent the Nostromo to LV-426.
The later films, Aliens and Alien 3, happen 57 years later, while Alien: Resurrection is set 202 years after Alien 3. Therefore, don’t expect many direct connections to those later installments, although Weyland-Yutani will still play a significant role here.
Links To Alien: Romulus
The series comes 22 years before Alien: Romulus, the hit film from 2024 set between Alien and Aliens. While Romulus featured important elements from Prometheus and Alien, Alien: Earth will largely skip over those prequels. Hawley has indicated that he drew inspiration primarily from Alien and Aliens, not from Ridley Scott's origin stories.
Fans hoping for more information on the 'Prometheus Strain' introduced in Romulus may be disappointed: Alien: Earth opts for a simpler approach, focusing on tension and classic horror elements.
Accessible For New And Old Fans
Though the Alien timeline now spans nearly three centuries, Hawley wanted to keep the series accessible. "If you try to follow everything, you’ll drive yourself crazy," he said during SXSW. Therefore, Alien: Earth is crafted to engage both new viewers and seasoned fans, with no prior knowledge necessary.
With positive early reviews and a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes, this approach seems effective. How the series events will connect to Alien or Aliens will soon be revealed: Alien: Earth premieres on August 12 with two episodes on FX Hulu and internationally on Disney+.
