Alien: Romulus Will Return To The 'Sheer Horror' Of The First Movie

It's been nearly seven years since Ridley Scott returned to the "Alien" franchise with the ever-divisive "Alien: Covenant." While we may not be getting a sequel to that film, Disney and 20th Century Studios are bringing the Xenomorphs back for another big-screen thrill ride in the form of this summer's "Alien: Romulus." Directed by Fede Alvarez ("Evil Dead," "Don't Breathe"), it looks like a return to the franchise's horror roots with new characters, a new ship, and familiar threats.

Alvarez recently spoke with Variety in honor of the recently released "Alien: Romulus" teaser trailer. The filmmaker was asked what he is bringing to the table for his film, which takes place 20 years after the events of the original 1979 sci-fi/horror classic. Alvarez, much like Ridley Scott and James Cameron before him, has a unique view of this universe. But his main goal? Make "Alien" scary again:

"Roughly there are six years between the movies, so every movie has come out in a different era of filmmaking, so that's why they're so different. But for me, it was really taking it back to its roots. I wanted to travel back not just to the style of the original movies, but to the genre of the original movies. I really wanted to go back to the sheer horror of the first film, and to take those elements of thriller that 'Aliens' has, and 'Alien 3' has as well."

The new film focuses on a group of young space colonizers who are scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station. Once there, they come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. The plot doesn't sound dissimilar to the 2014 video game "Alien: Isolation," which focused on Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley. Maybe Alvarez took some cues from the game? The game, for what it's worth, was quite scary, which aligns with his goals.

It's also important to point out that this isn't exactly a reboot. Even though it won't be picking up where "Covenant" left off, Alvarez worked with both Scott and Cameron to help maintain the franchise continuity. He also explained in the same interview that the aim was to make a movie that offers the best of both classic and modern filmmaking techniques to create something that feels new:

"We went to crazy extents to keep it pure to the filmmaking techniques of the first movie. But if anybody's worried, 'Is it going to be too retro?' Don't worry, 2023 will pour through every window. There's no way to stop the modernity of filmmaking. And from that combination of the best of the classics and the best of today, then you have something new."

The cast for the film includes Cailee Spaeny ("Priscilla"), David Jonsson ("Agatha Christie's Murder is Easy"), Archie Renaux ("Shadow and Bone"), Isabela Merced ("The Last of Us"), Spike Fearn ("Aftersun"), and newcomer Aileen Wu. Alvarez penned the screenplay alongside Rodo Sayagues ("Don't Breathe 2").

"Alien: Romulus" is set to hit theaters on August 16, 2024.