Everything we know about Alien: Earth (original) (raw)

Seemingly not content with scaring us in the darkness of a cinema, one of the most chilling science fiction franchises is heading for the small screen in the upcoming Alien TV series Alien: Earth.

That’s not to say that the Xenomorph — that gooey horror icon which was first introduced in Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi masterpiece Alien — isn’t still going to be hiding in your local multiplex.

A brand new Alien movie, Alien: Romulus, landed in cinemas in August under the directorial eye of 2013’s Evil Dead filmmaker Fede Álvarez. The film starred host of newcomers led by Mare of Easttown actor Cailee Spaeny — and its box-office success could bring us another sequel.

If that wasn’t enough, news has started to trickle in regarding the upcoming Alien TV series that’s also in the works. Read on to get up to speed on everything we know about Alien: Earth so far, including its plot, cast, release date and more.

When will Alien: Earth be released?

Alien: Earth comes hot on the heels of Alien: Romulus. (FX/Disney)

Alien: Earth will air on US network FX and Disney+ in the UK in 2025, but the show’s exact air date remains unknown. The show wrapped production in July 2024, after being delayed by the Hollywood strikes.

“It’s a very big show. It’s nice to have some time with it,” showrunner Noah Hawley told Variety as post-production began. “The first year of anything, you want to feel like you’re not up against the wall in terms of time. I’ve seen four of the eight hours of director cuts and engaged in the process of figuring out, cinematically, what it wants to be. It’s one of my favorite parts of of making a show.”

As Alien: Earth progresses, details of its release date are surely not too far away.

Is there a trailer for Alien: Earth?

In space, no one can hear you scream but on Earth they can hear you loud and clear. A teaser trailer for Alien: Earth arrived in September 2024, showing us the glistening head of an angry-looking Xenomorph with the reflection of our home planet slowly emerging in its shiny dome skull.

Cue terror. Watch it by hitting play below.

When will Alien: Earth be set in the Alien timeline?

Led by Fargo showrunner Hawley, Alien: Earth will take place before the events of Sigourney Weaver’s encounters with Xenomorphs in the primary Alien franchise which began with Scott’s Alien in ’79 and lasted until Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien: Ressurection in 1997.

“Alien takes place before Ripley. It’s the first story that takes place in the Alien franchise on Earth,” FX chairman John Landgraf told Deadline. “So, it takes place on our planet. Right near the end of this century, we’re in — so 70-odd years from now. Ripley won’t be a part of it or any of the other characters of Alien other than the alien itself.”

What is the plot of Alien: Earth?

Ridley Scott directed the original Alien in 1979. (20th Century Fox/Alamy)

The official synopsis for Alien: Earth reads: “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.”

The show will stay local, becoming the first Alien story to take place right here on Earth — albeit 70 years into the future. Hawley spilled a few details about Alien: Earth in an interview Esquire, saying: “It’s set on Earth of the future. At this moment, I describe that as Edison versus Westinghouse versus Tesla.

“Someone’s going to monopolise electricity. We just don’t know which one it is. In the movies, we have this Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which is clearly also developing artificial intelligence,” he added, referencing the company that frequently represents the big human baddie in most Alien movies.

Lance Henriksen (left) played Charles Bishop Weyland in Alien vs Predator. (20th Century Fox/Alamy)

“But what if there are other companies trying to look at immortality in a different way? With cyborg enhancements or transhuman downloads? Which of those technologies is going to win? It’s ultimately a classic science fiction question: does humanity deserve to survive?”

In a separate chat with Deadline, he teased the “truly chilling” arrival of the Xenomorph in the series. “I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it — and you’re going to lock your door that night,” he said.

He also revealed the series will make this iconic alien its own, saying: “What was really fun for me was to really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct... I just wanted to play around a little bit to make it as scary as it should be.”

Who is starring in Alien: Earth?

Sydney Chandler will lead the cast of the new Alien series. (Getty)

Sydney Chandler, star of Danny Boyle’s FX show Pistol, will lead Alien: Earth as meta-human Wendy. Chandler has also appeared in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling and Apple TV+’s Sugar series.

Alex Lawther is set to play a young soldier named CJ, with Samuel Blenkin starring as a CEO named Boy Kavalier. How exactly each of them will fit into the wider story of the show remains to be seen.

Both have appeared in episodes of Black Mirror, with Lawther also making waves via his appearance in The End of the F***ing World and Blenkin appearing in the most recent slew of episodes of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian anthology series.

Alex Lawther and Samuel Blenkin will also star in the TV series. (Getty Images/WireImage)

Timothy Olyphant is also part of the show’s cast, reuniting him with his Fargo director Hawley.

Details about what kind of character he’s playing have not yet been confirmed but according to Deadline, it could be a synthetic humanoid who is a mentor for Chandler’s character who they believe to be a meta-human hybrid with the brain and mind of a child but the body of an adult. At the time of writing, these details remain unconfirmed.

Other cast members include The Babadook star Essie Davis as a character named Dame Silvia, and The White Tiger actor Adarsh Gourav as Slightly. Shadow and Bone star Kit Young will also star as a character named Tootles.

Will there be a season 2 of Alien: Earth?

Landgraf has already teased plans for a possible season 2 of Alien: Earth — should it be a hit with fans.

“We’re pretty bullish on Alien: Earth and we’ve told [Hawley] that assuming, as we hope, Alien: Earth is a returning television series, we want him to focus on on at least writing two seasons of it before returning to a possible sixth season of Fargo,” he said.

Alien: Earth is coming to Disney+ in the UK and FX in the US in 2025.