DirectorFede Álvarez, the filmmaker behind last year’s popularAlien: Romulus, has revealed he’s already working on the sequel and hopes to begin shooting this year,Colliderreports. Álvarez also said he wants to “go into truly uncharted waters for the franchise,” promising an even bigger movie-going experience than its predecessor.
TheDon’t Breathedirector joined hisAlien: Romuluscolleagues, VFX Supervisor Eric Barbraand Wētā FX VFX Supervisor Dan Macarin for a panel discussion following an IMAX screening of their film hosted byCollider. During the talk, Álvarez was asked about theRomulussequel, and he let the gathered crowd know he was currently writing the film. Álvarez also said,“I think the sequel is my next movie, adding, “I hope I can shoot it this year.”
Álvarez elaborated some on the status of the project, highlighting the importance of creating a follow-up that continues the story in a meaningful way.
“For the last couple of months, I’ve been trying not to think about anything, just enjoying the fact that the movie did well, and now we’ve got some love in this award season, so I’ve been trying to think about that. But obviously, with the studio, we love the idea of making a sequel for this. So, most likely. We have a path, an idea that I’m really excited about for the continuation to really push the saga.”
Álvarez Wants to Take the ‘Alien’ Franchise Into “Uncharted Waters”
As far as where aRomulussequel could potentially go, and what it could mean for theAlienfranchise as a whole, Álvarez said he plans to take the action to new heights never before seen in the world of Xenomorphs.
I think with [‘Romulus’], we kind of check the boxes of all the things thatIwant to see, and that’s my bet that if I want to see it as a fan, some of you will agree with me and want to see the same things that I want to see. So this was done because there were many things I wanted to bring back and I wanted to see again. For a sequel now, I think there’s a vast horizon in front of us for where we can go becauseAlienis so many things.AlienisAlien, it’sPrometheus, and everything in between.It’s such a big universe. I think now I would love to go, and the plan is to go into truly uncharted waters for the franchise.
These words should be music to the ears of anyAlienfan, though they’re especially appealing for those who feltRomulusrelied a little too heavily on elements we’ve already seen in the franchise. Doing something wild and new, something we’ve never seen before, seems like the perfect direction for the series to go.
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One character we definitely won’t see again — if Álvarez is to be believed — is Ellen Ripley. The director recentlyshut down a rumorposted on a fan site that Sigourney Weaver was in talks to reprise her fan-favorite role in theRomulusfollow-up. Álvarez responded to the rumor on X/Twitter by stating simply,“Fun gossip. But not true at all.”
Alien: Romulusis currently up for an Oscar for its special effects, an aspect of the film that proved controversial, given that it used a mix of practical effects and CGI to resurrect actor Ian Holm as a different model of his android character from the originalAlien. The effect was met with criticism, so much so thatÁlvarez “fixed” itfor the subsequent streaming and home release of the film.
Alien: Romulus
