'Alien: Earth' producer says the series will feature 'more Xenomorph' than any of the movies — and I'm here for it
It's just over three weeks until 'Alien: Earth' debuts with its first two episodes, and in the lead-up, there's been plenty of conversation with the creative team about what fans can expect.
In fact, executive producer Dana Gonzales shared plenty of insights in a recent Collider interview, including how 'Alien: Earth' will give fans more Xenomorph screen time than any previous movie in the franchise.
Although Gonzales didn't specify exactly how many Xenomorphs will appear, he did say: 'All the movies, if you really study them, are like, 20 frames, two seconds, they show the Xenomorph. We have huge sequences where all you're seeing is the Xenomorph. It's driving a lot of things.
'We have a pretty incredible performer that's doing it and a great stunt team. We're asking them to do a lot. Again, it's finding the balance of how that works, because seriously, [nothing] in the franchise has shown as much as we have.'
Since 'Alien: Earth' features more Xenomorph screen time than ever before, making sure the updated design looked great on camera was a top priority. Gonzales explained in the interview that while the series uses CGI in post-production, the Xenomorph itself is completely practical: 'It's 100% real.'
He then added: 'And the Facehuggers we have, they're all real. I don't know how many we have, but we have many Facehuggers that do different things. So there are mostly real creatures. I think [it's] the fact that Wētā [FX] built these incredible characters that do several things really well that we can see them longer. Even the eggs are quite sophisticated, and we can show them.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
'I think that's gonna be the strength of the show, especially to have eight hours of that compared to an hour and a half movie. I don't know our running time of creatures, but it's going to be quite a bit.'
Originally, I was firmly convinced that the Xenomorph was at its best when kept lurking in the shadows just out of sight, mysterious and terrifying. After all, 'Alien' earned its iconic status by making the creature feel truly alien. But we've seen that approach countless times now, and 'Alien: Earth' is shifting gears.
Don't get me wrong, I hope future movies continue to keep Xenomorphs lurking in the shadows to build suspense within a shorter runtime. But for a series, it makes sense to have them front and center. After all, this is eight hours of content, not just 90 minutes of horror.
This upcoming series will explore how the Xenomorph adapts and reacts to an unfamiliar environment, introducing not only the classic terror but also new creatures designed to 're-mystify' the franchise, as director Noah Hawley described it.
This fresh take genuinely excites me because it honors the legacy while pushing boundaries. With Gonzales confirming that practical effects take center stage and that the Xenomorph will have unprecedented screen time, the anticipation just keeps building.
Plus, with 'Alien: Earth' shaped by Hawley's multi-season vision, having more Xenomorph screen time makes perfect sense. It allows the show to explore the creature's presence and impact in greater depth over an extended narrative, giving us fans a richer experience than a typical movie runtime could offer.
Calling myself an 'Alien' fan doesn't quite cut it. We're talking shelves of magazines, figurines taking up any free space in my room, and countless posters I've collected over the years. And somehow, that obsession is only going to grow when 'Alien: Earth' premieres on FX on Hulu in the U.S. on August 12, and on Disney Plus in the U.K. on August 13.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
a few seconds ago
- Gizmodo
It Sure Sounds Like ‘Alien Vs. Predator' May Return In the Future
So over here we've got new Alien movies and a new Alien TV show. And over there we've got new Predator movies expanding that universe. Then, in the upcoming Predator movie, a prominent character is made by Weyland-Yutani, a company at the center of the original Alien film, which also plays a large role in the new Alien movies and TV shows. What the heck is going on here? Friday at San Diego Comic-Con offered fans a rare opportunity to hear from two of the people primarily responsible for major franchises, in the same place, on the same day. And that's exactly what happened in both the Alien: Earth and Predator: Badlands panels, which both took place in Hall H. First up, at the Alien: Earth panel, a fan asked showrunner and creator Noah Hawley if Alien vs. Predator was something we might see in the future. 'I don't have any current involvement in that combo package,' Hawley said. 'But I love seeing that Dan Trachtenberg is continuing with the Predator series. This new movie looks great, and my question is, 'Can't we all just get along?'' An expert passing of the buck, to say the least. But, fast forward a few hours, and the person Hawley passed the buck to was on the same stage. Moderator Kevin Smith asked Trachtenberg about if the fact that Weyland Yutani, a company from Alien, is in Predator: Badlands is teasing at an eventual showdown. 'I think sometimes people that are dabbling in cinematic universes, there's a seduction to grab all the action figures and smush them all together,' Trachtenberg said. 'And I really didn't want to do that, and I really wanted to make sure if we ever do something, it would be a little more elegant.' Smith pressed him for more. Could he, the person now responsible for Predator, bring Aliens in? 'Wouldn't it be cool?' the director added. The crowd roared. Of course, one person not in attendance who'd have a say in this, outside of the executives paying for everything, is Fede Alvarez. Alvarez made last year's Alien Romulus and is expected to return to that world in the future. But, since Trachtenberg is clearly linking his Predator movies with Alien and continues to expand the Predator franchise by bringing back iconic characters like Danny Glover's Lt. Harrigan and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch, there's clearly a larger plan in place (oh, you didn't hear about that? Yes, that happened). And that plan may just be heading toward the Alien and Predator sharing the screen one more time. Do you want to see a new Alien vs. Predator movie? Let us know below. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
New Predator: Badlands Trailer Shows More Alien Connections, the New Yautja Talking, and a Big Mech Fight
Predator: Badlands' new trailer shows off much more of the movie, reveals even more connections to the Alien franchise, and even teases a big mech fight. Dan Trachtenberg, who directed Prey and this year's well-received animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers, will continue the Predator (and Alien) resurgence with Predator: Badlands, due out November 7. In the trailer, we see Elle Fanning's surprisingly chirpy Thia strike up an alliance with Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi's young Predator, outcast from his clan. We see Thia (at least, we think this is Thia), rebooted after what looks like a fight with some sort of monster. Thia is a Weyland-Yutani synth from the nefarious company's bio-weapons division, and we later see her make mincemeat out of an alien foe. The problem is, Thia has been cut in half, and must be carried by the Yautja as he seeks out what is described as "a creature that can't be killed" and "the definitive apex predator" (is it a xenomorph?!). There's plenty of action here and, in the final shot, another Alien reference as a mech makes a dramatic entrance to fight a giant monster (Aliens Power Loader, anyone?). Thia teases this mech's introduction by saying: "We might not be alone in this hunt." Who is she talking about? Who is piloting the mech? The new Predator is called Dek, an underdog Yautja 'runt' in the protagonist role. Predator movies typically feature Yautja (the name given to the race of alien hunters) in antagonist roles. Dek selects his hunting ground, a 'Death Planet' called Kalisk, and it's here he fights to prove his worth to his father and for acceptance within his own clan. In the trailer we hear Dek speak, insisting he's not the prey here (it looks like he is, at least for a time). Trachtenberg has said the on-screen relationship between Dek and Fanning's character was inspired by 2005 PlayStation masterpiece Shadow of the Colossus. 'As inspired as I am by movies, I've been very inspired by video games [like] Shadow of the Colossus, where you have a protagonist paired with someone else who provides color and connection,' Trachtenberg explained.'There's a thing with a horse in Shadow of the Colossus that's devastating when you play the game. And so [Predator: Badlands] was a little bit inspired by that in terms of wanting to see the Predator with someone else, this character who's the opposite of him. He's very laconic, [Fanning] is not. She's capable in ways that he is not. Physically, she's got a real thing that I'm so excited for you guys to see. But I want to let eventually some of that speak for itself.' There are a number of other Alien references in the Predator: Badlands trailer, as well in the recently released animated film Predator: Killer of Killers, which had sparked speculation Trachtenberg is setting up Aliens vs. Predator 3. Trachtenberg was, as you'd expect, tight-lipped on those Alien connections and Fanning's character's nature. 'There's a unique hook to her character that is exciting in the pairing of [her and Dek],' Trachtenberg teased. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ or confidentially at wyp100@ Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
3 hours ago
- Gizmodo
The ‘Alien: Earth' Premiere Just Blew Away Hall H at Comic-Con
Anyone who has been to a movie recently knows that keeping people quiet to watch something together can be a struggle. Now make that number almost 7,000 people, and what happens is pure captivation as the crowd in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con were wowed by the first episode of Alien: Earth, which comes to FX on August 12. The episode starts in a very familiar way for Alien fans before doing a complete 180 into something totally different. Almost instantly, it's clear that creator Noah Hawley both knows what you want from an Alien show and that he has to give you something new. That something new primarily centers on Wendy, played by Sydney Chandler. In the first episode, we see she's actually a child who had her consciousness transported into a superior robot body resembling an adult. It's one of the new innovations at Prodigy, one of several companies at the center of Alien: Earth as they battle a war to monetize immortality. Not what you expected from an Alien show, right? After a few twists and turns, Wendy and several other similar beings decide they want to help investigate a mysterious (and potentially lucrative) crash by a Weyland-Yutani ship in the middle of the city. That ship houses several creatures on it, including some new ones that will creep and crawl their way into your nightmares, just as they do a few soldiers near the end of the episode. We'll have more specifics on the episode when we get closer to release, but it played like gangbusters to the near 7,000-person Hall H at Comic-Con. They 'ooh'd,' they 'aah'd,' and they made it seem like this Alien: Earth show might be something special. Because the episode was so long, there wasn't a lot of time to actually talk about the show on the panel. Mostly, the attending cast, which included Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, and Babou Ceesay, talked about how excited they are to be part of the Alien franchise. But showrunner and creator Noah Hawley did explain a bit about how this show will be different, just on a macro scale, from an Alien movie. 'It's an 8-hour story this year, and each hour has to build and have its horror elements, but my feeling is it really has to work as a drama, and then all the genre elements can be built on top of that,' he said. 'An Alien movie is a two-hour survival story, and a television show has to be more than that. It has to be a character journey that's thematically rich and that you really start to worry that I might kill some of these people. And I might.' 'The thing that's really quite special and I think you guys are going to enjoy is that by the time you get to the third or fourth episode, the things that wake you up in the middle of the night and you're thinking about the next day are just scenes between two people,' Olyphant added. 'They're so riveting. In addition to all the thrills and the scares. the drama and character study is so phenomenal.' We'll see it all on August 12 when Alien: Earth comes to FX. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
