The Alien franchise has had a wide variety of entries over the years, however there’s never been an Alien TV series. This is soon going to change. It’s been previously announced that an Alien series in the works, one that will be set on Earth, and in a new development it’s been revealed to take place in the future as well. Unfortunately, for any fans that were hoping to see Sigourney Weaver come back as Ripley, they’ll be disappointed. It seems that the Alien series is still set before the events of the original film. As such, Ripley is irrelevant.
While this news could be disappointing, it appears that the series is intended to take the franchise in new directions. Along with the absence of Ripley, there won’t be any other characters from the films returning either. The only familiar entity will be the “alien itself,” as noted by FX’s John Landgraf.
Here’s what he said in an interview with Deadline:
“Alien takes place before Ripley. It’s the first story that takes place in the Alien franchise on Earth,” he explained. “So, it takes place on our planet. Right near the end of this century we’re in — so 70-odd years from now. Ripley won’t be a part of it or any of the other characters of Alien other than the alien itself.”
He also had plenty of praise for series creator Noah Hawley:
“Noah has this incredible ability, and I think you’ve seen it with Fargo, to both find a way of being faithful, showing fidelity to an original creation like a Coen brothers’ movie, or in this case, Ridley Scott’s and James Cameron’s follow-up, Aliens, but also to bring something new to the table that represents extension and reinvention of a franchise at the same time.”
The upcoming Alien TV series is expected to premiere on both FX and Hulu. A release date hasn’t yet been announced.