New Alien Movie Coming From Don't Breathe Director Fede Alvarez, Will Go Straight To Hulu
GAME AIN'T OVER, MAN! In news that will surely shake genre fans to their core, we're getting a new "Alien" film! "Evil Dead" and "Don't Breathe" director Fede Alvarez will be directing the latest installment in the greatest horror franchise of all time, with "Alien" director and legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott producing. Scott is producing through his Scott Free production banner, and the film is expected to be made for Hulu as part of 20th Century Studios' plan to provide more than 10 movies a year for the Disney-owned streaming service. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alvarez randomly pitched a take on the "Alien" films to Scott many years ago, and Scott recently called him up, having still been thinking about that pitch after all these years. Alvarez is a huge fan of the "Alien" franchise, and when Scott asked if he was still up for the job, he quickly accepted.
20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said that the company picked up the project "purely off the strength of Fede's pitch." Considering it was years ago that Fede first pitched the idea to Scott, he must have something truly incredible up his sleeve. "It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven't seen before," said Asbell. As to be expected, Alvarez's take is being kept hush-hush, but knowing his penchant for extreme horror that pulls no punches, we might be in for a horrific new path for the Xenomorphs. Back in August, Scott confirmed that the new "Alien" movie was in the works, and said it was "doubtful" that the new movie would follow the path of "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant."
New characters for a new Alien
The immediate question on most fans' minds is likely regarding a possible return of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, but based on her previous statements and the little tidbit from Asbell regarding new characters, this new "Alien" film may be a fresh start for the series. While the direct-to-Hulu announcement may have some fans worried, this is actually a very, very good thing. With 20th Century Studios now owned by Disney, Asbell has made it very clear that Hulu will be the home to edgier content produced by the studio. "It's not a film that has to be all things to all people with those gargantuan budgets," he said. "They get to be authentically what they are, and this is closer to its genre roots."
Yes, YES! Give us the contained horror story elements of Dan O'Bannon's brilliant original script! The new "Alien" film looks to be an additional piece of the 20th Century Studios "Alien" revamp pie, alongside the still-anticipated TV series from Noah Hawley. I'm all for 20th Century doubling down on their "Alien" content, especially when it's coming from the guy who gave us a brutal bloodbath in the "Evil Dead" remake, and the guy who brought "Fargo" to the small-screen. There's no word yet on when Alvarez's new "Alien" film is set to begin production, but we'll surely be soaking up every last bit of breaking news as it becomes available.