As the first leading star of one of the most influential sci-fi films in history, Sigourney Weaver‘s opinions on the Alien franchise hold a lot of weight among fans. It certainly bodes well for FX’s Alien: Earth, then, that Ellen Ripley has given her seal of approval, sharing that she’s “really enjoying it”.
Speaking to Collider at the Toronto International Film Festival while promoting her new movie, Dust Bunny, the industry heavyweight answered with the Noah Hawley-directed series when asked about her recent watchlist recommendations.
“What I admire about it is it’s not Alien-centric. It is about what world we will be living in in 100 years. I think the scope of it is so much bigger than an Alien project. Fascinating,” she shared. “Much more about our world, what’s going to be happening to it, what’s going to be important, the role of greed. It’s just exploded some of the themes that have always been part of the Alien series, and I think it’s beautifully cast and beautifully done. I can’t believe it’s television, frankly.”
Part of its appeal also lies in the exploration of “new creatures based on children”, referring to synthetic beings with human consciousness, or hybrids, like protagonist Wendy (Sydney Chandler, Don’t Worry Darling), cybernetically-enhanced humans, and various never-before-seen life forms that include a terrifying octopus monster called The Eye.
“All these things are so remarkable, and they’re just building and building and building. And the monsters that he’s also bringing in are just terrifying. It’s like, we don’t have enough problems with the alien, we need 50 more,” added Weaver (via People).
Alien: Earth premiered on 12 August to critical and fan acclaim, and is currently halfway into its eight-episode run. Set two years before Ridley Scott’s original movie (for context, Romulus takes place between the first and second Alien films), it follows Wendy and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers who make a discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s biggest threat.
Joining Chandler on the series, which is rooted in human terror, are ex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World), Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood), Essie Davis (The Babadook), Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Babou Ceesay (Severance), David Rysdahl (No Exit), Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones), Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger), Jonathan Ajayi (The Drifters), Erana James (The Wilds), Lily Newmark (Cursed), Diem Camille (The Great Silence), Moe Bar-El (Honour), and more.
“In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness),” reads the official logline for Alien: Earth.
“The first hybrid prototype named “Wendy” marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, “Wendy” and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.”
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Joyce Ong
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