Summary
Following the release of the latest trailer forAlien: Romulus, there’s a mounting sense of excitement among fans of the series. The latest entry looks set to put the franchise back on track, and fans are eager to see what it has to offer.
Still, with 45 years of history under its belt – as well as a timeline that unfolds out of order across hundreds of years – it may not be obvious whenAlien: Romulusis intended to take place. For those hoping to get their footing before diving into the movie, some additional information aboutAlien: Romulus– and a refresher on the franchise as a whole – may prove useful.
What is Alien: Romulus About?
Alien: Romulusfollows anall-new crew of space dwellerswho land on an abandoned space station in the hopes of stripping it for parts. However, the young crew soon discovers that the station holds much more than they bargained for. Before long, they find themselves in a gruesome game of cat and mouse with a horrifying extraterrestrial creature.
Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla,Civil War) leads the movie’s ensemble as Rain Carradine. Joining her are David Jonsson (Rye Lane), Isabela Merced (Instant Family,Transformers: The Last Knight), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.
By pretty much every metric,Alien: Romuluslooks set totake theAlienfranchise back to basics. Its title is a reference to the mythological figure Romulus, who is said to have founded Rome after murdering his brother, Remus. The title alone hints at a theme of beginnings, as well as betrayal. It seems that the movie is aiming to return the franchise to its former glory by following in the footsteps of its foundational entry.
Director Fede Álvarez is known for helming the surprisingly solidEvil Deadremake, as well asDon’t Breathe.Heappears to be the perfect choice for the project. BetweenEvil Dead’s brutal, over-the-top violence andDon’t Breathe’s claustrophobic sense of dread, Álvarez has the potential to nail the unique brand of sci-fi horror pioneered by 1979’sAlien. Álvarez recently informed The Hollywood Reporter thatAlien: Romuluswas madeusing primarily practical effectsand tangible sets rather than green screens:
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.
What Are the Other Alien Movies About?
Alien (1979)
The premise of Ridley Scott’s originalAlienfilm is simple but effective. The crew of the USCSS Nostromo – including Sigourney Weaver’s iconic Ellen Ripley – are awakened from stasis after receiving a mysterious signal from a nearby ship. After investigating the transmission, the crew discover that the dilapidated space station houses a deadly extraterrestrial life-form. The creature, known as a xenomorph, proceeds to tear the crew apart piece by piece.
Despite its science fiction setting,Alienis still very much a horror movie. Its nail-biting tension, claustrophobic setting, and grisly visual effects solidify it as one of the mostinfluential movies of all timein both the science fiction and horror genres.
Aliens (1986)
Releasing seven years afterAlien,Aliensfunctions asmore of an action moviethan a horror movie. Its premise ups the ante following the small-scale, intimate horror of its predecessor. The movie follows Ripley – along with a large group of overly confident Colonial Marines – as she’s sent back to the moon where her previous crew were slaughtered by a xenomorph. This time, though, the crew must contend with countless hordes of the creatures, along with the terrifying xenomorph queen. Although it’s different from the first movie,Aliensis considered an all-time great in its own right. The question of which movie is superior has sparked heated debate among film buffs for decades.
Alien 3 (1992) & Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Famous for being the directorial debut of David Fincher,Alien 3signaled a turning point of sorts for theAlienfranchise. Following the critical success of its previous two entries,Alien 3wasn’t quite so well received. Thattrend would continuethroughout the series’ next few installments.
The story picks up directly after the events ofAliens.Ripley crash-lands in the middle of a deadly penal colony, before becoming embroiled in yet another xenomorph outbreak.Alien: Resurrectionwas released just a few years later, and was met with a similarly mixed critical response. Strangely, the movie focuses on a cloned version of Ripley over 250 years in the future, as she fights her way through a military ship that plays host to a series of nefarious xenomorph experiments.
The Alien Vs. Predator Movies (2004 & 2007)
In 2004 and 2007, respectively,Alien vs. Predatorand its sequel,Alien vs. Predator: Requiemreleased, pitting the iconic franchise mascots against each other.While these movies were savaged by critics, they are generally not considered canon to theAlienseries.
Prometheus (2012) & Alien: Covenant (2017)
Fortunately, Ridley Scott returned to the franchise just a few years later to helm the flawed but ambitiousPrometheus.This prequel toAlienexplores the dense mythology of the xenomorphs, as well as the origins of humanity. While it wasn’t to everyone’s taste,Prometheusdeserves credit for shaking up the series’ formula and expanding the lore of theAlienuniverse, while putting additional focus on the twisted machinations of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
The movie’s sequel,Alien: Covenant,features the return of the duplicitous android David(Michael Fassbender). His continued attempts to play god following the events ofPrometheusresult in the creation of what he sees as the ‘perfect organism’ – the xenomorph. Unfortunately, yet another crew of unsuspecting space-farers fall victim to David’s creations, leading to horrifying consequences for humanity.
Where Does Alien: Romulus Fit in the Timeline?
While it may sound complicated at first, the order in which theAlienmovies take place is actually fairly simple.PrometheusandAlien: Covenantare set before the originalAlien, serving as prequels. FollowingAlien, its sequels (up untilAlien: Romulus, that is) all unfold in chronological order. Much like thehugely popular survival horror gameAlien: Isolation,Alien: Romulustakes place betweenAlienand its sequel,Aliens.With this in mind, the official order of the Alien movies, chronologically, is as follows:
When does Alien: Romulus come out?
Although initially intended for release on Hulu,Alien: Romulushas since secured an exclusive theatrical release. The movie is currently set to hit theaters June 15, 2025.
