Fans of the sci-fi horror genre are chomping at the bit for 20th Century Studios‘ Alien: Romulus, the Fede Álvarez-directed film that will help fill in some of the gaps in the iconic Alien franchise. With the film’s release just months away, a new look at Alien: Romulus has been revealed depicting the film’s interstellar laboratory, the Romulus Lab, which appears to be hiding some dark secrets. The new image comes courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, which posted it on social media. The image shows off the doors of the Romulus Lab. Unsurprisingly, the doors are adorned with a mural of the lab’s – and the film’s – namesake: Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of the city of Rome, from which Alien: Romulus gets its title. While no other information was released about the laboratory, the image itself was plucked from an updated version of Alien: Romulus’ trailer, which shows the doors to the lab opening before the trailer quickly cuts away.

What will occur inside this lab is anyone’s guess. However, given the title of the film, the Romulus Lab will likely play an integral role in the plot of the project, which is set between the original 1979 film Alien and its sequel, 1986’s Aliens. Few story details have been released, but Alien: Romulus will follow space colonziers who find themselves aboard a seemingly destroyed space station. The group, led by Cailee Spaeney’s Rain, soon find out they are not alone. While Alien: Romulus takes place after the battle between Signourney Weaver’s Ripley and the Xenomorph in the original film, it has been confirmed that the upcoming feature is a standalone project and not connected to the other films. It’s also been confirmed that the film isn’t connected to Noah Hawley’s upcoming FX series for the franchise, also called Alien.

Who Else Is in ‘Alien: Romulus’?

Beyond Spaeney leading the charge, Alien: Romulus will also star Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Spike Fearn, Archie Renaux, and Aileen Wu. Most of the group’s roles have not been fleshed out, though from the footage that has been revealed, it appears that the majority will be joining Rain on the space station for at least part of the film. This means that some – or all of them – will likely come to meet what 20th Century described as “the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Álvarez directed Alien: Romulus from a script he wrote with Rodo Sayagues, and also serves as an executive producer. The film is produced by Ridley Scott, the director of the original film, for his Scott Free Productions banner alongside Michael Pruss, while Walter Hill produces for Brandywine Productions.

Alien: Romulus will be released in theaters on Aug. 16, 2024. The new image can be seen above.

via Collider