Following a stunning teaser trailer released back in March, Alien: Romulus is kicking things up a notch with its second trailer, which is full of facehuggers, acid blood and zero-gravity thrills.
The Alien movie series has been a fun one to follow over the decades, with the quality going up and down, the mythology being expanded in often contradictory ways, and the fearsome xenomorphs clashing against the extraterrestrials from the Predator franchise outside of comic books and video games.
After Ridley Scott’s planned prequel trilogy was denied a conclusion and “Prey” marked a much-needed refresh for the Predator saga, Disney and 20th Century Studios are trying to give Alien the same treatment, and so far, it looks like writer-director Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead 2013, Don’t Breathe) might have succeeded where many have failed. The trick? Going back to the series’ roots while mixing things up.
Related: Everything we know about ‘Alien: Romulus’
It certainly looks like Álvarez wasn’t lying nor exaggerating when he teased his movie is a mix of the first two installments, the ones which are universally beloved despite how strikingly different they are from each other. While the visuals on display are closer to those of Alien (1979), there’s a solid touch of James Cameron’s Aliens (1986) covering the entire preview as well.
Moreover, those who have played some of the best Alien games of all time will surely notice a fair amount of DNA from “Alien: Isolation,” Creative Assembly’s memorable FPS horror title released in 2014.
As for the actual plot, the new trailer doesn’t reveal specifics beyond a group of colonist teenagers who want better lives for themselves choosing to steal and/or scavenge from the wrong space station. You might think you know what comes next, but it appears the script may have a few surprises up its sleeve. No Ellen Ripley cameo though, as this one takes place at some point in the 57 years between Alien and Aliens.
On top of the nerve-wracking trailer, a simple but hard-hitting red poster that reconfirms the Aug. 16, 2024 release date in theaters was shared by Disney and 20th Century Studios:
The cast is led by Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising) as Rain Carradine. She’s joined by Isabela Merced (Transformers: The Last Knight) as Kay, Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone) as Tyler, David Jonsson (Industry) as Andy, Spike Fearn (Aftersun) as Bjorn, and newcomer Aileen Wu. Director Fede Álvarez co-wrote the script with his longtime creative partner Rodo Sayagues, and Alien legend Ridley Scott is involved as producer.
“Alien: Romulus” debuts in theaters on Aug. 16, 2024.