Ridley Scott's $350M Alien Sequel Plans Addressed By Star

A certain Alien movie is still in development, and fans are eager for news. Directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues, and starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu, 2024's Alien: Romulus was the best-reviewed Alien movie in a long time. Franchise creator Ridley Scott served as a producer on Alien: Romulus and will do the same for the next installment. Following Alien: Romulus earning an 80% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $350.865 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $80, a direct sequel was announced. News about the project has been scant, but in an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns for Audible's Dracula adaptation, Jonsson discussed the forthcoming movie. "I know you can't share much about that either," started Hermanns, "But I was reading recently that Ridley Scott's getting a little more involved. The script's starting to move, and so I'd love to hear from you what you're allowed to say about how progress is coming on Andy's big return." Jonsson's character Andy is an android who has a close, familial relationship with the protagonist Rain (Spaeny). Rain and Andy are expected to return in the next movie. "I wish I could tell you more," Jonsson responded in his ScreenRant interview. "I haven't really got much more than what you just said — which, by the way, that's some good stuff, what you just said. So I don't want to downplay it, I'm not trying to minimize it. But I don't know. I think you've just taken the words from me." However, Andy proved to be an especially popular character when Alien: Romulus was released, with Jonsson receiving particular praise for his performance. The actor agrees, saying: "I will just say that I truly love Andy, and I love that project. I'm really grateful for all the fans that supported Alien, and I really hope that we get a chance to not just do it again, but take it further, because that's really what it deserves." Though Alien: Romulus' sequel is confirmed to be in development, with rumors of its cancellation being debunked, Álvarez is not returning to direct. In an interview with TooFab, the filmmaker explained: "I'm going to pass the torch on this one as director. [...] But we wrote the story [...] We love the story and now we just want to find a director that really wants to go for the jugular." Álvarez will remain on board as a producer alongside Scott. But the production is still looking for its director. While Scott directed the original 1979 Alien, and James Cameron its 1986 follow-up Aliens, the franchise has passed from director to director, also including David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Paul W.S. Anderson. Scott also directed 2012's Prometheus and 2017's Alien: Covenant. Meanwhile, a different Alien prequel movie tied to Prometheus and Covenant is also reportedly in development, with Aaron Guzikowski attached as its screenwriter. The deeply iconic franchise continues to branch off in multiple directions — including the TV series Alien: Earth being renewed for season 2 — but fans may be most drawn back to the Alien: Romulus timeline thanks to Rain and Andy. Alien: Romulus is available to stream on Hulu. Release Date August 16, 2024 Runtime 119 Minutes Director Fede Alvarez Writers Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues, Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett Producers Ridley Scott, Walter Hill, Michael A. Pruss Franchise(s) Alien