ALIEN: EARTH Aims to Be the Next Big Prestige TV Phenomenon and It May Have Cost Over $250 Million
FX is going all-in with its upcoming series Alien: Earth, the first Alien project to bring those nightmare-fueled Xenomorphs to planet Earth. The ambitious new show isn’t just another genre experiment as FX and showrunner Noah Hawley are reportedly positioning it as the next prestige-level hit on the scale of Game of Thrones or The Last of Us.
According to Variety, FX wants Alien: Earth to be a sweeping, character-driven drama that expands the beloved franchise into new storytelling territory. And they’re paying big for it.
The series is rumored to have a budget that could exceed Shōgun, FX’s recent historical epic that cost around $250 million. That makes Alien: Earth one of the most expensive shows ever produced for the network.
This massive investment makes sense considering what the show promises. Not only is this the first time the franchise takes place on Earth, but the series introduces bold new ideas while honoring classic Alien themes. At the center of the story is Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a human child whose consciousness is transferred into a synthetic body. And yes, the Xenomorph threat is coming to Earth — along with some new, terrifying creatures.
The earthbound setting also lets the show dive deep into a theme that has always been at the heart of Alien: corporate greed. As Hawley puts it, the series explores what the planet actually looks like in this future.
"All I tried to do is think one or two steps ahead. Is it realistic to think that billionaires are going to be trillionaires? The planet is heating up, and the seas are going to rise - it's going to be a hot, wet planet that we live on."
Hawley also acknowledges the freedom that comes with building something new instead of being weighed down by decades of rigid lore:
"There's surprisingly little mythology across seven movies," he explains. "It was great to not have to jerry-rig a mythology into what's existing, but to just start again."
That flexibility is key for Hawley and FX. Gina Balian, FX Entertainment president, added:
"Everything doesn't have to fit together the way you expect from Marvel. Fans don't expect that in this universe. It doesn't have the same pressure."
This means Alien: Earth isn’t trying to create a Marvel-style shared universe, something Hawley has been clear about from the start. Alien has always thrived as an anthology-like series, with each film offering a unique tone and setting.
Personally, I’m thrilled that the series seems to be sidestepping some of the lore from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Those films redefined the Xenomorph as a product of engineered design rather than an unknowable terror, and that never sat right with a lot of us. A clean slate opens the door for the mystery and dread that made Alien iconic.
Alien: Earth is set to premiere on August 12, and if Hawley delivers what he’s promising, we might be looking at the next big genre-defining series.