Alien: Earthis the upcoming TV show in the long-runningAlienfranchise, exploring the aftermath of a deadly Xenomorph invasion on planet Earth. It’s a much-needed change of pace for the beloved series, which has been criticized in recent years following the polarizingPrometheussequels and somewhat overfamiliarAlien: Romulus.The story ofAlien: Earthpromises to be something fresh and different, which is exactly what this franchise has been looking for.
Alien: Earth’s cast is filled with recognizable faces and rising talents, including actors like Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, and Sydney Chandler. The show will also be written and directed by Noah Hawley, who’s best known for his work on the popular TV adaptation ofFargo. With this much talent both in front and behind the camera, expectations for this subversive sci-fi show couldn’t be higher.Alien: Earthwill reveal important details about the Xenomorph’s origins, which is something that long-time fans of the franchise have been begging for since Ridley Scott’sPrometheusraised these important debates in the first place.
Alien: Earth Is Unlike Anything We’ve Seen In The Alien Franchise So Far
The Sci-Fi Series Has Never Done An Earth-Based Story
By far the most interesting thing aboutAlien: Earth, as suggested by its title, is the fact that it takes place much closer to home than most entries in the franchise. The majority of the show’s story will happen on Earth, as a mysterious vessel crash-lands on the planet and brings humanity face-to-face with a deadly Xenomorph.This is totally unlike the previous movies in the franchise, all of which detail conflicts between humanity and aliens in the latter’s home turf. This series brings the fight to us, which could be a very interesting twist on an otherwise overfamiliar structure.
“Those Characters Will Combine… Perhaps:" Alien Vs. Predator’s Potential New Crossover Is Exactly What The 2000s Movies Should’ve Been
The potential for a crossover between the two iconic sci-fi horror franchises has been given new life, and is what should have happened in the 2000s.
Additionally,Alien: Earthwill be the first-ever TV show in this franchise. Every other entry has been a feature-length film, which has admittedly served the series pretty well until this point, butbringingAliento the small screen opens up plenty of new storytelling possibilities.Alien: Earthcould even rewrite the franchise’s canonin ways that aren’t necessarily possible with shorter stories, as it has more time to expand upon any major decisions that it makes. There will surely be more complex subplots and more intricate characters, which is something that certainAliensequels suffer without.
Alien: Romulus Was Great, But It Wasn’t That Different From Previous Alien Movies
Fede Álvarez' Prequel Didn’t Break The Mold Enough
While Fede Álvarez’Alien: Romuluswas a near-perfect example of how to succeed with a more self-contained spinoff in this franchise, the project ultimately felt too familiar and repetitive for those long-time fans who’ve been with this series since the beginning. The film marketed itself as a breath of fresh air forAlien, butthe film didn’t quite leave enough distancebetween itself and the previous sequels to subvert expectations as much as it clearly wanted to.
This is something thatAlien: Earthcan easily succeed at.It will obviously be different from previousAlienstoriesbecause of its longer format, so that stale repetitiveness isn’t something the writers necessarily have to worry about. It’s a completely new venture for this franchise, and that’s incredibly exciting.Alien: Earthmust answer some important questions about Xenomorphs, but other than that, it has plenty of creative freedom.
I’m Still Trying To Figure Out How Alien: Earth’s Premise Will Work
Prometheus Seemingly Contradicts The Existence Of Xenomorphs On Earth
Another exciting feature aboutAlien: Earthis that on the surface, its story seems like a paradox.It’s not entirely clear how there could have been a Xenomorph invasion of Earthbeforethe events of Ridley Scott’s original movie, unless it was flawlessly covered up or inexplicably reversed. It’s the only narrative hurdle thatAlien: Earthreally needs to watch out for, becauseAliencould retroactively be affected by this story.
Alien: Earthmust integrate neatly into the existing timeline, somehow explaining why Weyland-Yutani sent its employees directly into a Xenomorph hotspot just two years after the latter’s invasion of Earth.
Of course,Alien: Earthcould ignore the canon ofAliencompletely by retconning certain aspects of Scott’s original film - but this likely wouldn’t go down too well among long-time fans of the franchise.Alien: Earthmust integrate neatly into the existing timeline, somehow explaining why Weyland-Yutani sent its employees directly into a Xenomorph hotspot just two years after the latter’s invasion of Earth. There’s surely an answer, but it could take some careful writing to avoid any glaring plot holes.
