"Alien 5: Filming Has Begun

With "Alien: Covenant", a feature film for the popular "Alien" franchise was last released six years ago. After the film was not really well-received and the predecessor "Prometheus" also fell short of expectations, the time has long since come for a reboot of the film series.

This is finally going to happen at 20th Century Studios with "Evil Dead" and "Don't Breathe" director Fede Alvarez, who already has notable experience in the horror genre. He has been overseeing the filming of what is officially the fifth "Alien" movie since March 9 - one that is not a prequel nor a crossover - with a much younger cast than before. According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming film, with the working title "Alien: Romulus", will focus on a group of young people living in a distant colony who find themselves in a fight for survival with the eponymous alien.

A total of five new cast members have been announced, with "Mare of Easttown" actress Cailee Spaeny taking the lead role. In addition to actors Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu, we will also see "Industry" star David Jonsson, "Transformers: The Last Knight" star Isabela Merced and Archie Renaux, best known from "Shadow and Bone", on screen. A participation of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley seems rather unlikely at this point.

2024 seems to be a realistic timeframe for the theatrical release of "Alien 5" based on the current filming start, but official information is still missing. In parallel to the feature film, an "Alien" series by the showrunner of "Fargo", Noah Hawley, is also in the works. We can therefore look forward to more news about the franchise.