FX is bringing extraterrestrial life forms closer to home, and it promises a terrifying time. The network has dropped the full trailer for Alien: Earth, which sets up the premise of the eight-episode prequel series — a crashed spacecraft brings a group of tactical (and synthetic) soldiers face to face with the all-too-familiar Xenomorph on Earth.
But the alien isn’t the only threat standing in their way. “This ship collected five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe. Monsters… Invasive species. Predatory,” says a character in the clip, followed by quick glimpses of various creatures, including a Facehugger, a giant jelly species, another bowl-shaped scuttler with tentacles, and more new, uh, friends.
It was previously revealed that the show would feature five different species, so it’s nice to have that confirmation in canon. While not explicitly shown, the Predator may be one of these monsters, as its iconic clicking noise can be heard at two points in the trailer. The use of the word “predatory” also seems to be rather deliberate, and it’s worth remembering that the trailer for Predator: Badlands has overt crossover references to the Alien franchise — namely, the Weyland-Yutani branding in the protagonist’s eye and corporate vehicles.
Set two years before Ridley Scott’s original movie (for reference, Romulus takes place between the first and second movie), Alien: Earth is helmed by Fargo creator Noah Hawley, who also serves as executive producer alongside Scott. The official logline reads:
“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).
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.”
Sydney Chandler (Pistol, Don’t Worry Darling) plays Wendy, with lex 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), and Moe Bar-El (Honour) rounding out the ensemble cast.
Alien: Earth will premiere on FX and Hulu (or Disney+ outside of the U.S.) on 12 August.
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.
