20th Century Fox To Hatch Alien TV Series?

The next spawn of 20th Century Fox’s Alien franchise may burst into life on the small screen.

Omega Underground has the scoop, revealing that Fox hopes to inject some fresh, acidic blood into a series that has laid dormant since the somewhat underwhelming release of Covenant.

Director Ridley Scott is adamant that a third prequel (Alien: Awakening?) is still possible, though he continues to vacillate between wanting to keep the Xenomorph, and replace it with another, equally-terrifying threat: artificial intelligence and synthetics like David and Walter, the creepy double act played by Michael Fassbender and, er, Michael Fassbender.

Scott also has his hands full with The Cartel and Disney’s Merlin Saga, so there’s no telling when he’ll have enough time on his busy schedule to squeeze in a full-blown Alien movie. The answer? H.R. Giger’s inimitable creature may be slithering onto the small screen.

Per Omega Underground, Fox is said to be mulling over the thought of a TV drama set within the Alien universe. Exactly when and how it will release remains a mystery at this point, though streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu have seemingly been ruled out. FX appears a safe-bet, though.

Plus, history tells us that Fox is particularly fond of repackaging its IP for television, what with The Gifted and Legion breaking new ground for the X-Men franchise. And as OU points out, an Alien TV series would allow the Powers That Be to boost the franchise’s staying power without dumping $100M+ on a single film that may well flop at the box office.

Covenant was a costly venture, too, so if Alien does have a future to look forward to, perhaps television is the best place to start? More on this story as it develops.