With the blessing of Ridley Scott, director Fede Alvarez decided to go back to the basics when shooting Alien: Romulus from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. “I knew that I wanted to take this chapter back to the beginning, not only story-wise but in terms of visual style,” explains Alvarez. “I wanted to keep it simple and focus on a few characters you could get to know and love.”
“In space, no one can hear you scream.” That iconic tagline has resonated in the hearts and souls of generations of moviegoers, and for the past four decades, the “Alien” franchise has set the bar for the sci-fi/horror genre.
The brilliance of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film forged life into a groundbreaking franchise that features remarkable directors (James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeanuet, among others), never-before-seen creatures, and cutting-edge effects that defined what it means to be truly scared.
The journey for the latest standalone film in the epic “Alien” franchise began when director/co-writer/executive producer Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) presented his ideas to acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott years ago. Scott was immediately hooked. “Fede Alvarez had a true vision for this movie,” recalls executive producer Tom Moran.
Scott’s production company, Scott Free, pitched the idea to 20th Century Studios, and with their blessing and Scott’s guidance, Alvarez started working on a screenplay with Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”). According to producer Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), the biggest challenge was figuring out how to make an “Alien” film for 2024. “The evolution of the franchise is fascinating, but it has been crying out for a new, modern film,” Pruss says.
The filmmakers needed to understand not just the mythology but also how the characters, the horror, and the suspense—which have historically been fantastic across the “Alien” franchise—can exist today. James Cameron, who wrote and directed 1986’s “Aliens,” met with Alvarez early in the writing process, offering invaluable insight and suggestions on everything from character development to the creation of the aliens.
© 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The path from inception to filming results from several creative breakthroughs on Alvarez’s part. “There is a deleted scene in ‘Aliens,’ where a bunch of kids are running among the workers in the colony,” explains Alvarez. “I remember thinking about what it would be like for teenagers to grow up in a colony so small and what would happen to them when they reached their early 20s.”
The premise gave birth to the story of Alien: Romulus, while giving the franchise a new spin. Alvarez’s and Sayagues’s original story is set roughly 20 years after the first “Alien” movie and about 37 years before “Aliens.” While scavenging a decommissioned space station, hoping to find the technology necessary to leave their doomed planet behind, a group of young colonists unwillingly awaken the most terrifying organism in the universe.
Alien: Romulus is the first film in the “Alien” franchise featuring young adult characters, and the filmmakers set out to ensure they found the best fresh-faced young actors to embody the roles.
“The time has come. Prepared to be transported once again to the vacuum of space and all its horrifying unknowns,” says producer Ridley Scott.
Audiences will be frightened, compelled, and thoroughly entertained when “Alien: Romulus” hits theaters in August. Producer Michael Pruss says, “I know audiences will appreciate that we are bringing a modern spin onto a classic franchise. And hopefully, they’ll be scared out of their wits.”
“My ambition is for the generation who saw the original movie to love this film and for those who have never seen an ‘Alien’ movie to be introduced to this incredible universe through our film,” says Alvarez. “With any horror movie, you want the people to be terrified and have an experience that leaves them breathless.”
“Watching anyone’s version of something I’ve already done (which I had to deal with on ‘Blade Runner’), there is always trepidation,” says Scott, “But I thought ‘Alien’ needed a really fresh view. I had seen three of Fede’s films so I knew what he was capable of, and what I liked was the fact that he cast young people. That was a really valuable asset to what he was doing and what I knew he could do. So, I was excited from day one. I said, ‘You’ve got a huge movie here.’”
A truly terrifying cinematic experience. The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
From Page To Screen
Principal photography on “Alien: Romulus” began March 9, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. The gorgeous Central European capital has become known for hosting a litany of big-budget Hollywood movies because of its beautiful locales, highly experienced local crews, efficient tax incentives, and quality of life. But what particularly drew filmmakers to the city for this project were the soundstages at Origo Studios, where almost all the sets were built.
To create a visually spectacular world that transports audiences to the darkest corners of the universe, director/co-screenwriter/executive producer Fede Alvarez recruited an impressive creative team, including director of photography Galo Olivares (“Gretel & Hansel”), production designer Naaman Marshall (“Don’t Breathe”), editor Jake Roberts, ACE (“Civil War”), composer Benjamin Wallfisch (“Blade Runner 2049”), visual effects supervisor Eric Barba (“Oblivion”), costume designer Carlos Rosario (“Shogun”), set decorator Zsuzsanna Sipos (“Dune: Part Two”), prosthetics makeup designer Ivān Pohārnok (“Midsommar”), property master Graeme Purdy (“Spider-Man: Far From Home”), and special effects supervisor Gábor Kiszelly (“Poor Things”).
With the blessing of Ridley Scott, Alvarez decided to go back to the basics when shooting the film. “I knew that I wanted to take this chapter back to the beginning, not only story-wise but in terms of visual style,” explains Alvarez. “I wanted to keep it simple and focus on a few characters you could get to know and love.”
This included the use of visual effects techniques that haven’t been used in ages. “My approach was to create a true horror movie with limited characters and to use practical effects wherever I could,” says Alvarez. “I wanted to tip my hat to all the filmmakers who have come before me and pay homage to the ‘Alien’ franchise in a number of ways.”
“Fede is a unique filmmaker,” says Ridley Scott. “He does everything himself. He relies on the crew to help him with his vision, obviously. But he is an all-arounder.”
Adds executive producer Tom Moran, “I’ve never met a director that has loved another director’s movie more than Fede loves Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien.’ Ridley’s approach in 1979 was very practical in terms of visual effects and style. Fede decided to honor that and go back to basics.”
There are even nods to Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner’s iconic cores from “Alien” and “Aliens” respectively, as well as to Richard Greenberg and Phil Gips’ opening title sequence from “Alien.”
As a result, every set was originally constructed: every corner of the spaceships, the space station, the colony, the hallways, and the docking bay. Everything, except the exterior colony of Jackson’s Star and the colony affairs, was built on stages or the backlot of Origo Studios.
Alvarez’s essential rule of going back to basics gives Alien: Romulus a very rich visual aesthetic, a textural antiquated futuristic look, yet one possessed with a familiar darkness. Because Alien: Romulus takes place between “Alien” and “Aliens,” the filmmakers dove deep into researching the 1980s and every frame of the two movies.
Alvarez explains, “Our approach with Naaman was to look at the movie as a period piece. We were inspired by the first two ‘Alien’ movies and researched the futurism of that era.”
“We wanted Alien: Romulus to be viewed as a part of a trilogy in a movie theater, where you can just go watch it after ‘Alien’ and before ‘Aliens,’” adds Marshall. “It was a real challenge to design something into the pocket of something else. I did a lot of research into Ridley and James Cameron’s movies: lots of screen grabs of textures, colors, shapes, and prosthetics. We leaned back to the future of the 1980s.”
Adds Alvarez, “We revived techniques that haven’t been used in decades as we dove into the futurism of the ‘80s. Living in the world has been the most fun I’ve ever had. We are excited to put the audience through the same immersive and hopefully thrilling experience.”
The Xenomorph
The Xenomorph is the most perfect specimen in the universe, as well as the ultimate weapon. It has concentrated acid for blood, does not require food, and can survive in any atmosphere. It has a skeletal humanoid shape with an elongated, cylindrical head and a bony tail.
The Xenomorph (or Xeno) is the Endo parasitoid extraterrestrial species that serves as the title antagonist of the “Alien” franchise. Alvarez’s concept in “Alien: Romulus” was to use old-school effects when creating it. According to the Legacy team, four full Xenos were created, requiring the work of 80 artists, including digital artists, concept artists, mold makers, sculptors, painters, and robotics experts. All worked from general design concepts that make all of them functional.
It was especially important to Alvarez that the actors have the opportunity to interact with a fully-functional animatronics Xenomorph. “Fede wanted the surfaces very rough and sharp. He wanted it to feel as though a shark’s skin; if you touched it, you would be cut,” explains Shane Mahan. Everyone at Legacy Effects was very keen on making the Xeno feel like the original “Alien” movie.
The Facehuggers
The iconic facehuggers return in “Alien: Romulus” courtesy of Wētā Workshop’s creative lead Richard Taylor, with some changes and in more numbers than ever before. There are 12 different iterations of facehuggers, all representing the same creature. There are fully animatronic facehuggers that can pry open doors and can be programmed. Some just move a little, some are rigged onto moving vehicles, and some are remote-controlled and run along the ground with legs.
The facehugger is a parasitoid, a spider-like alien creature with bony fingers and human-looking flesh with a tubular tongue that enters its human host via its mouth and implants a seed that will amalgam with the victim’s DNA and rapidly grow. It has no eyes but tracks humans by their heat signature (body temperature).
The Chestburster
The chestburster is a large, larva-like alien creature implanted into its host’s chest cavity by a facehugger. Upon maturation, it exists via the host’s chest.
One of the most iconic scenes in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” is the chestburster scene, for which the creature was originally designed by the great Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Geiger. Alvarez specifically reached out to Alec Gillis, owner of Studio Gillis, who worked on “Aliens,” “Alien 3,” and “Alien vs. Predator,” to create the chestburster and egg effects in “Alien: Romulus.”
“I watched the first ‘Alien’ just like everybody else. In fact, I was sitting next to James Cameron, and this was before either of us was even working in the movie business,” says Gillis. “Then five years later, I was on set with Jim on ‘Aliens,’ working for Stan Winston.”
The chestburster in “Alien: Romulus” is very similar to the original creature, with some modifications. It now has little arms that move, and it was given more articulation. “I feel like the creature effects in ‘Alien’ were so revolutionary and groundbreaking that there was not a lot of place for improvement,” says Gillis.
© 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Director, writer, and producer FEDE ALVAREZ (Director/Co-Writer/Executive Producer) is a Uruguayan filmmaker known for his visceral approach to film. Alvarez gained international recognition for his directorial debut, the 2013 “Evil Dead” remake, which he also wrote. The film starred Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, and Lou Taylor Pucci and opened to number one at the box office. Following the success of his first film, he wrote, directed, and produced the hit genre film “Don’t Breathe,” which starred Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, and Dylan Minnette. The film premiered to rave reviews, grossed over $157 million globally, and left a lasting impact on the horror community for its innovative storytelling and tension-building scenes. Alvarez also produced and wrote “Don’t Breathe 2” and later produced and wrote 2022’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” which premiered at number one on Netflix’s top 10 list. On the TV side, Alvarez created, directed, and wrote the Apple TV+ series “Calls,” an English adaptation of the French series of the same name. The series stars Aubrey Plaza, Riley Keough, Joey King, and Pedro Pascal, among many others. It won an Emmy® for outstanding motion design and earned Alvarez a WGA nomination for adapted short-form new media.
RODO SAYAGUES (Co-Writer) was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he also grew up. His father, a prominent lawyer, and his mother, an English teacher, were devoted art and culture consumers, inspiring their children to appreciate a variety of art forms–from classical literature and music to theater and films. At an early age, Sayagues developed a passion for cinema and music. He studied classical guitar and, eventually, modern music. He founded several rock bands, with which he played until early adulthood, achieving a career in the local Uruguayan music scene. Music forged his friendship with his long-time creative partner, Fede Alvarez. Soon, they discovered a shared interest beyond music and began shooting homemade short films with a simple VHS camera. His two passions eventually merged, and he started shooting music videos for local rock bands and, in time, for more prominent Uruguayan musicians. Filming, which had been a hobby, gained real estate in his creative life. By 2007, Sayagues directed commercials in the Uruguayan market, receiving several awards. Simultaneously, he and Alvarez were making more short films, for which they won many local and international awards. In November 2009, “Panic Attack” was uploaded to YouTube and went viral in a matter of days. The short caught the attention of acclaimed filmmaker Sam Raimi, who offered Sayagues and Alvarez a deal. After relocating to Los Angeles, they began working on a reimagining of the cult horror classic “Evil Dead” (Sony). The movie premiered at the SXSW Film Festival with horror critical acclaim and became a box-office success, scoring $100 million worldwide. The team reunited for “Don’t Breathe” (Sony) in 2016. The movie was a smash hit, scoring $160 million worldwide and becoming a cult classic. Sayagues and Alvarez found a way to channel their creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Amid the shutdown, they were able to write and produce the series “Calls” for Apple TV+. Sayagues made his feature directing debut with “Don’t Breathe 2” (Sony), the long-awaited sequel to their 2016 hit. The movie performed exceptionally well despite being released during the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2021. He served as a writer and producer for “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (Netflix) in 2021.
