The new Alien movie from Disney and 20th Century is finally moving forward, as the cast and filming status received major updates. Ridley Scott's original sci-fi horror franchise is set to make another return in the near future. Just a few years after his Alien prequel movies stalled out after two films, Disney and 20th Century began developing several ideas for a potential new Alien film. It was announced in early 2022 that Don't Breathe director Fede Álvarez was attached to direct the movie, which is expected to act as a soft reboot of the franchise.
The status of Disney's Alien movie reboot received two major updates recently thanks to a report from Deadline that revealed its lead and filming status. The report revealed that Pacific Rim: Uprising actress Cailee Spaeny is in talks to star in the lead role after becoming the top choice of the studio following multiple meetings with producers and Álvarez. It has also been revealed that the studio is so happy with the current status of the new Alien movie that the film is moving forward with the hope of beginning filming in early 2023. No release date has been announced.
Everything We Know About Disney's New Alien Movie
Plans for a new Alien movie have taken on many forms in recent years. Not only did Ridley Scott have plans for a third prequel movie to come after Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but Fox was developing Alien 5 as a potential chance to bring Sigourney Weaver's Ripley back. These plans changed after Disney's acquisition of 20th Century, leading to both movies stalling out in development. Instead of continuing what came before, Disney and 20th Century hired Fede Álvarez to make the new Alien movie after a very strong pitch centered around original characters. The film is said not to be connected to the previous entries in the franchise.
The latest updates for Disney's new Alien movie provide even more information about the film. It confirms that the franchise will retain a female lead, allowing Cailee Spaeny to follow in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver, Noomi Rapace, and Katherine Waterston. Plans for the new Alien movie to begin filming in early 2023 should mean that audiences will have the chance to see the film sometime in 2024. It was previously reported that Disney's Alien film would release exclusively on Hulu, just as the recent Predator prequel Prey did.
The Future Of The Alien Franchise Looks Promising
Now that Disney's Alien movie is making progress, the future of the franchise looks very promising. Not only is the next feature-length installment gearing up to begin filming, but work is also being done on the first Alien TV show. Developed by Noah Hawley, the FX series is a prequel to the original 1979 Alien that involves no known characters. It is confirmed that the Alien TV show starts filming in 2023 as well, meaning Hulu could quickly revive the Alien franchise if the movie and series are well-received once they arrive.
Source: Deadline