Noah Hawley Wants ALIEN: EARTH To Define the Franchise’s Future Mythology
It’s an exciting time for fans of the Alien franchise. With Alien: Earth set to drop on Hulu August 12, the world of Xenomorphs is expanding.
Alien: Earth creator Noah Hawley has big hopes for what he’s created and he wants the show’s newly built Earth-based mythology to ripple out and shape the future of the Alien universe across all mediums.
Speaking with GamesRadar+ during a press event in London, Hawley talked about how Alien: Earth exists in its own lane, apart from Alien: Romulus. But he’s already been in touch with directors Fede Alvarez (Romulus) and Dan Trachtenberg (Badlands) to ensure they're at least aware of what each other is building.
“We talk to the degree that we're trying to avoid duplication of story or inadvertent mimicry of something I might do, or that Dan might do, or Fede [Alvarez],” Hawley said.
“But in general, they're not all coordinated. What I've suggested, since there's a surprising paucity of mythology in the seven films, other than that there's a company called Weyland-Yutani...
“I've said, ‘Well, you know, so if this show is a prequel to the movies, and I've made some choices about how humanity is organized: it might be helpful if you adopt those [choices] should the issue come up in your films,’ Right? But otherwise, we're not really coordinating with each other.”
In Alien: Earth, humanity’s future is shaped by five corporate powerhouses: Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, Threshold, and Prodigy. The latter, run by a brilliant young CEO named Boy Kavalier, played by Samuel Blenkin, is behind a groundbreaking hybrid tech that could change the world. That is, until a Xenomorph crashes the party in a region known as New Siam.
David Zucker, producer of Alien: Earth and longtime Scott Free collaborator, explained why the show’s independence from the films is such a rare thing.
“The possibility of TV projects like Alien: Earth crossing over with films like Alien: Romulus was just simply unapproachable for the longest time. I mean, feature and television, particularly for these valuable film franchises, was just not a conversation you were even permitted to have,” said Zucker.
“It’s interesting because we are still maintaining separate tracks, so there’s an awareness. But probably to the benefit of both endeavours, Noah’s been given his independence to really find the story he wants to tell, the way he wants to tell it.”
While Alien: Earth serves as a prequel to Alien, it avoids the deeper backstory laid out in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. That means no Engineers, no answers to the infamous Space Jockey, at least not yet.
“[The Space Jockey is] not really involved in our story to date, you know,” Hawley added. “Maybe I'll think about it in the future.”
Whether or not future Alien films adopt the backstory Hawley’s crafted remains to be seen. But with Alien: Earth diving into fresh territory just two years before the events of Alien, it’s clear this isn’t just another rehash. It’s laying the groundwork for something bigger.
Alien: Earth debuts with a two-episode premiere on Hulu August 12.