Earlier today, FX released a teaser trailer for its upcoming Alien TV show, Alien: Earth, which will air on Hulu in 2025. True to its name, the 15-second trailer was as advertised: a video of Earth reflected in the glossy black banana-shaped chromedome of visionary H.R. Giger’s Xenomorph.
Although the teaser trailer did the absolute barest of minimums to tantalize prospective viewers to keep their eyes peeled for the show on Hulu, we know more about the show than its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trailer leads on. For instance, we know who is behind the show, who is in it, and a general outline of where it is in the franchise’s continuity.
For starters, Alien: Earth—created by Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley and executive produced by Ridley Scott—is a prequel series set 30 years before Scott’s first film. Here lies the series’ logline: “When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.”
In addition to Don’t Worry Darling‘s Chandler, the show also stars Alex Lawther (The Imitation Game), Timothy Olyphant (Justified), Essie Davis (The Babadook), Samuel Blenkin (Black Mirror), Babou Ceesay (Free Fire), David Rysdahl (No Exit), Adrian Edmondson (3 Body Problem), Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger), Jonathan Ajayi (Wonder Woman 1984), Erana James (The Wilds), Lily Newmark (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Diem Camille (Alex Rider), and Moe Bar-El (The Bureau). Some are well-known, others are newcomers, but any and all of them could easily fall prey to the cat-like alien.
Apart from the Joss Whedon-written Alien: Resurrection, which saw a human hybrid abomination with the most pitiful puppy-dog eyes get vacuumed into space and burned up in Earth’s outer atmosphere, Alien‘s creatures have visited our planet even before Alien: Earth was a thing. Unfortunately, those times have the misfortune of being a part of the Predator crossover films.
Fede Álvarez reveals his pitch for ‘Alien vs. Predator’ : “Maybe something that I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan (Trachtenberg)” pic.twitter.com/HmhabAXN84
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) August 16, 2024
Seeing as how Alien took place in the year 2122, and the oft-forgotten Predator film Alien vs. Predator takes place in the year 2004, it would stand to reason that Alien: Earth will be messily nestled after the events of that ill-conceived crossover and Scott’s prequel film, Prometheus.
Continuity notwithstanding, no one will be up in arms should Alien: Earth decide to omit the poorly lit fever dream ride that was AVP and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem from its canon. That spinoff franchise is best left in Alien: Romulus and Prey directors Fede Alvarez and Dan Trachtenberg’s capable hands, should 20th Century Fox show up to their backyard with a truckload of money and greenlight Alvarez’s joke film pitch.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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