Alien: Romulus is pitting the notorious xenomorph against a younger and more inexperienced space crew than ever before, which could amplify the film’s cosmic terror. Set to arrive in theaters on August 16, 2024, Alien: Romulus will revolve around a group of twentysomething space colonists who inspect a dilapidated old space station and end up encountering the most fearsome lifeform in the universe. The story will take place somewhere in the decades-long gap between Alien and Aliens, and it’s aiming to collate the styles and tones of those two fan-favorite movies.
Director Fede Álvarez, who previously helmed Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead reboot, recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his approach to Alien: Romulus. He explained how he’ll honor the franchise’s legacy, with a claustrophobic atmosphere and a fresh take on familiar iconography like the facehugger, but he also explained how this movie will differ from the previous entries in the series. Specifically, Álvarez is focusing on younger characters with less experience in space, which he believes will be more relatable to audiences who have similarly limited experience with the horrors of outer space.