The Alien franchise appeared to have found a new steward on the big screen in Fede Álvare, after he shepherded Alien: Romulus to widespread praise last year. Now, however, the next installment will have to search for another sci-fi horror visionary. After finishing the script on the sequel with co-writer Rodo Sayagues, the director revealed in a conversation with TooFab at Universal Studios‘ Halloween Horror Nights that he will not be back in the director’s chair. He will, however, remain on board as producer and help find his replacement to head the next film with returning star Cailee Spaeny.
As soon as Romulus released, Álvarez was vocal about his ideas to continue the story. It didn’t take long to get a sequel greenlit to explore those visions, with the spooky feature hauling in over $350 million at the box office. Just back in February, the director even told Collider‘s Aidan Kelley about his desire to explore uncharted territory with the franchise in the next outing and take viewers to some unexpected places for Xenomorph action. Alas, he won’t be the one to realize those plans, even if his fingerprints will still be all over the project. “We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for Romulus. But I’m gonna pass the torch on this one as director,” he said. “I’m going to produce it, with Ridley Scott, we’re gonna produce it together, and we’re right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in.”
Losing Álvarez is a bit of a blow to a franchise that has otherwise been humming lately. After leading Evil Dead to success with his bloody 2013 remake, Scott ceded control of the Xenomorph-infested series to him to revitalize the sci-fi horror after the muted response to Alien: Covenant. Not only did he manage to find new life with a fresh, young cast headlined by Spaeny and David Jonsson, but his film proved to be just the beginning of an exciting new era. Noah Hawley‘s Alien: Earth has been hailed as one of the best television series of the year, expanding Scott‘s world to our planet in a new and interesting way.
Where Could the ‘Alien: Romulus’ Sequel Take the Franchise Next?
Set between the events of Alien and Aliens, Alien: Romulus follows a separate group of space explorers coming face to face with the greatest threat in the cosmos while exploring a distant, uncharted space station. By the end of the carnage, after facing off against the terrifying Offspring birthed by Isabela Merced‘s Kay, the duo of Rain (Spaeny) and the android Andy (Jonsson) escape into space and set a course for Yvaga, where they face an uncertain future likely full of new horrors. Also in February, Álvarez had hopes of potentially beginning production this year on the next chapter of their story, though, with the need for a new director, that seems a bit less likely now. The completion of a script and a plan firmly in place between the team and Disney, however, means that things could get underway quickly once the franchise finds its new host.
via Collider