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‘Alien’ to chestburst on to screens once again with Fede Alvarez-helmed sequel

Alien
Still from 'Alien' by 20th Century Fox via MovieStillsDB

If you found yourself watching Prey earlier this year and wondering if the Predator franchise could get a movie that good from Zombie 20th Century Fox, why couldn’t the Xenomorph? To be fair, lots of folks think that that acid-blooded alien got a few good ones out of Ridley Scott in the last decade (and you know what, we were wrong about Covenant back when that one came out), but it feels sort of weird that the Alien franchise is more present in the video game world at the moment than on screen. Lucy in the Sky director Noah Hawley was supposed to be making a TV show in the universe for Hulu, but who the hell knows what’s happening there (Hawley seems to pick up and drop projects every three weeks). So, Alien fans, hold your Jonesy plushies close because we’ve got great news for you: a new film is on the horizon, and the names involved are pretty exciting.

According to Deadline, 20th has tapped Fede Alvarez to direct the next installment of the franchise, with up-and-comer Cailee Spaney in talks to lead the film’s cast. If you’re unaware of Alvarez’s work, he’s responsible for some real ugly genre shit, the kind of thing we sing hosannas about when it comes to blood, guts, gore, and twists and turns executed well and done in truly poor taste. We recommend starting with his Evil Dead remake and then proceeding on to Don’t Breathe, although we’re way bigger fans of that film’s sequel than his original. He’s a solid choice, if you ask us: the ick factor of the series has always been one of its major selling points, and we’re stoked to see what he’ll do.

So is 20th Century Studios, apparently! Here are some more details from that Deadline article:

“Not much is known about the pic other than the iconic ferocious race of alien beings called Xenomorphs will be front and center, again reigning terror against the humans that cross their paths. 20th Century and Scott Free made this a top priority after hearing Alvarez’s pitch, and after a recent script was delivered, things only gained speed in getting this film in front of cameras by early 2023.”

You heard the trade, folks. There’s no real info out there about this just yet, but you’ll probably have a chance to see this one sooner than later.