When Disney completed its takeover of 20th Century Fox, many fans of the Alien and Predator franchises wondered if the R-rated sci-fi horror properties would be put out to pasture, but it turns out that they needn’t have worried.
Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey is coming to Hulu later this year, while Noah Hawley is developing an episodic series set in the Xenomorph universe for FX, and now a third project has been added to the slate. As per The Hollywood Reporter, horror veteran Fede Álvarez is set to write and direct a standalone Alien film for streaming, with Ridley Scott attached to produce.
Further details remain thin on the ground, but the feature film won’t be connected to the TV show at all, and will instead exist in its own pocket of the mythology. However, Álvarez’s involvement does indicate that Alien could be heading back into full-blown horror territory for the first time in a long time.
The filmmaker’s previous credits as a director, writer, or producer include the aforementioned Don’t Breathe and its sequel, The Evil Dead remake, and Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, so he knows a thing or two about bringing buckets of blood to the screen.
The report goes on to say that Álvarez pitched Scott with an Alien story years ago, but it’s only now coming to fruition. It also serves to cast doubt on the original architect of the saga’s own assertions that he’s still planning to round out his own prequel trilogy with a follow up to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
