The Alien and Predator franchises, titans of the sci-fi and horror genres, have captivated audiences for decades with their unique blend of extraterrestrial terror and interstellar warfare. Now, following the success of his latest film, Alien: Romulus, director Fede Alvarez is floating the possibility of reigniting the crossover saga with a new Alien vs. Predator movie.
The concept of Alien vs. Predator first gained traction with a subtle Easter egg in Predator 2, where a Xenomorph skull appeared, sparking a series of crossover comics, novels, and video games. It took until 2004 for the rivalry to make its big-screen debut, leading to a financially successful film adaptation. Despite its box office draw, the film and its 2007 sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, were critically panned, with the latter also underperforming financially.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Alvarez expressed his openness to revisiting this cinematic confrontation, suggesting, “Maybe it’s something I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan [Tratchenberg]. Maybe we should do like Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did with From Dusk Till Dawn. I’ll direct a half, and he’ll direct another half.” His buddy, Dan Tratchenberg, directed the 2022 Predator prequel Prey and is currently involved in another standalone project in the franchise.
This renewed interest in merging the Alien and Predator universes comes as Alien: Romulus enjoys a robust US$41.5 million opening in North America, marking it as the second-largest debut in the Alien franchise, trailing only behind Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, which opened at US$51 million. Alien: Romulus not only represents a career milestone for Alvarez but also for lead actress Cailee Spaeny, achieving her highest domestic opening to date.
The success of Alien: Romulus could potentially pave the way for the proposed Alien vs. Predator project. Alvarez hinted that the future of this crossover would largely depend on the reception of Alien: Romulus and whether audiences show a renewed interest in such a matchup, “It depends on how well this (Alien: Romulus) does, if people want to see that.”
In the meantime, the Alien franchise continues to expand, with Alien: Romulus and a television series titled Alien: Earth in development, ensuring that fans of the iconic series have much to look forward to.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.
Kevin Low
