20th Century Studios recently unveiled a behind-the-scenes featurette forAlien: Romulus, giving fans a sneak peek into the making of this anticipated film. The video shows directorFede Álvarez’s vision of returning to the series' horror roots, focusing on a more raw and direct approach to the Xenomorph saga.
In the video shared onYoutube, Alien: Romulus star Cailee Spaeny, who will portray Rain Carradine, praised the Alien franchise’s legacy and revealed the film is set between Alien and Aliens. David Jonsson, who will play Spaeny’s brother, Andy Carradine, discussed the production techniques, such as avoiding green screens to maintain the gritty and grounded feel of the original films.
Cailee Spaeny: “The Alien franchise holds such an iconic space in cinematic history… This story slips right in between Alien and Aliens.”
David Jonsson: “Just like Ridley [Scott] did in Alien 1, Fede [Álvarez] made a point in not green screening it.”
Álvarez shared the film’s plot which is centered around Rain and her brother Andy, who seek a new life away from their troubled past, only to find themselves on a spaceship filled with dangerous secrets.
Rain and her brother Andy are the heart of this story… There’s a lot of secrets and things they don’t know inside that ship that will cost them dearly.
Álvarez has made it clear that he wants his film to feel as authentic as possible. Alien: Romulus has every creature and set meticulously crafted by hand. During an interview withTHR, Álvarez stressed the importance of tangible settings and effects in enhancing the viewer’s experience.
“I have this obsession with no green screens, so we built every creature and set. Everything had to be built so we were really living and breathing in these spaces.”
Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots. While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Alien: Romulus Mixes Classic Suspense with Futuristic Action
Alien: Romulusthrusts its viewers into a chilling scenario where a team of explorers encounters otherworldly dangers aboard a decaying space station. This setting allows for a seamless blend of suspense and action, a synthesis of Scott’s tension-filled narrative and Cameron’s energetic pace.
Director Álvarez discussed how he balances the suspense of Ridley Scott’s originalAlienwith the high-octane action of James Cameron’sAliens. PerEmpire, the director talked about his vision for a film that captures the essence of both predecessors without favoring one over the other. He noted on the unique challenge of honoring two distinct cinematic achievements, stating:
To ask an Alien fan to choose between them is a perverse question. So I thought, ‘How do I do both?’
How Alien’s Creature Became Known as the Xenomorph (Despite That Not Being the Original Plan)
Discover how the iconic creatures in the Alien franchise became known as Xenomorphs.
His strategy involves a visual and thematic crossover that starts with environments reminiscent of the iconic Nostromo ship and transitions into scenes that echo the colony of Hadley’s Hope fromAliens.
There’s a moment where the characters are walking around areas familiar from the Nostromo. Then they cross through that building and on the other side: boom! You’re in a hallway that looks like Hadley’s Hope [the colony from Aliens]." The cross-pollination is reinforced by the feel of the film, with the first hour adopting the more deliberate, dread-laden atmosphere of Alien, before the action shifts from Remus to the titular Romulus and starts to lean closer to Aliens in both style and tempo.
Alien: Romulusis set to premiere in theaters on July 24, 2025.
