The Alien Franchise Is Starting To Worry Me

by

Fans of the Alien movies are enjoying a resurgence after a long wait. The original Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), directed by Ridley Scott and James Cameron, were huge hits, but the franchise stumbled afterward. Problems making Alien 3 and a lukewarm reception to Alien: Resurrection meant the 1990s weren’t kind to the Alien universe – much like what happened to hair metal bands at the time.

Though the original Alien film remained popular, the franchise struggled in the 2000s, relying on crossovers with Predator for action. The 2010s saw a shift with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, but those prequel films proved controversial and failed to revitalize the series. Plans for Alien 5, a film directed by Neill Blomkamp, were unfortunately cancelled, and the franchise continued to face difficulties.

The Alien franchise, after a rough patch, has recently seen a comeback. What started with a reassessment of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant with the benefit of time gained momentum with 2024’s Alien: Romulus, which many consider the best installment since Aliens. This positive trend continued with Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth, despite initial doubts, proving to be a truly excellent addition to the series.

Fans of the Alien franchise have a lot to be excited about right now, with a surge of new and well-made content being released. However, despite this positive turn, the series seems to struggle with actually completing its storylines, which could become a problem down the line.

Ridley Scott’s Alien Prequel Story Is Only Halfway Done

Ridley Scott revisited the world of Alien with Prometheus and openly planned to tell a larger story in several parts. While Alien: Covenant followed, a planned third movie to continue the prequel series was unfortunately never made, and the reasons why remain somewhat unclear.

It’s hard to say exactly what caused the Alien franchise to struggle after Covenant, but several issues contributed. Alien: Covenant didn’t perform well at the box office, and the prequels weren’t winning over fans as strong sequels to Aliens. Adding to the problem, the potential Alien 5 directed by Blomkamp remained a popular idea, and then Disney bought Fox, further complicating things. Even Ridley Scott himself seemed unsure about continuing the Alien story.

If people had loved Prometheus when it first came out in 2012 as much as they do now, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Unfortunately, it took audiences a while to appreciate Scott’s idea, and now the story feels unfinished.

As a huge Alien fan, I always saw Prometheus as the movie where David, played by Michael Fassbender, started collecting the pieces he’d need to create his own alien world. Then Alien: Covenant showed him actually starting to do it, putting his evil plan in motion. Honestly, the franchise has to finish David’s story – his obsession with becoming a god – and connect it back to the original Alien movies like Ridley Scott originally intended. It’s the only way to really make everything feel complete!

Alien: Earth Season 2 Is Going To Happen… Right?

Setting a story like Alien on Earth was a gamble, and turning it into a TV series could have easily failed. Luckily, it clearly paid off, and the show was a success.

Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth took significant liberties with the established Alien formula. The story relies so little on the traditional xenomorphs that they could be swapped with a completely new creature without drastically altering the plot, highlighting how loosely connected the series is to the broader Alien universe.

Despite its flaws, the first season of Alien: Earth was a beautiful show with compelling stories, complex characters, frightening creatures, and a cinematic feel. It was a much-needed burst of creativity for the Alien franchise, while still staying true to what made the original movies great.

After the huge success of Alien: Earth, fans were anticipating a second season quickly. However, Disney hasn’t announced any plans for it yet. Similar to what happened with Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels, the future of the show’s overall storyline is now uncertain.

Similar to the endings of Scott’s earlier work, the first season of Alien: Earth didn’t provide a clear resolution. While Wendy’s vow to take control hinted at a robot rebellion to come in season 2, several loose ends – most notably the mystery of the eye monster – were left unresolved, setting up major questions for the next season.

Alien’s Only Confirmed Sequel Is The One We Didn’t Need

We know there will be at least one more Alien movie, Alien: Romulus 2. The original director, Fede Álvarez, helped write the script, and the story will continue to follow the characters Rain and Andy. However, Álvarez won’t be directing this time. Since Alien: Romulus successfully blended the old and new styles of the Alien franchise, another film like it is great news for fans.

Despite a positive ending showing Rain and Andy starting a new life, the film seems destined for sequels. While Alien: Romulus could have functioned perfectly as a self-contained story – unlike some other Alien films – it’s currently the only one with confirmed plans for further installments.

The Alien series has often shifted its focus, and while recent and upcoming projects like Alien: Romulus, Alien: Earth, and Ridley Scott’s earlier films prove the franchise is still popular, there’s a real worry that the studio won’t fully commit to finishing the stories it starts.

Read More

2025-11-05 17:01