The first 'Alien: Earth' trailer just landed — and it was more than worth the wait
Calling 'Alien: Earth' my most anticipated show of 2025 feels like an understatement. As a superfan of all things 'Alien' — it's not just my favorite film franchise but my favorite IP in all of media, period — I thought my hype levels for the upcoming FX show could not be higher, but the first "Alien: Earth" trailer has just made the wait until its premiere on August 12 almost painful.
After months of teasing and a few short spots that showed very little beyond unsatisfying glimpses of the full beast to come, FX just dropped a full two and a half minute trailer, and it's truly glorious. The 'Alien' superfan in me was literally leaping out of my office chair with excitement several times.
You can watch the trailer for yourself down below:
Opening with a countdown interspersed with quick cuts from the trailer to come, the densely-packed first look does the one thing I was hoping it would: It focuses on the show's cast of characters rather than the Xenomorph.
We learn of a young girl who is going to be 'the first person to transition from a human body to a synthetic." When has megacorporation playing God ever gone wrong in the 'Alien' universe?
Next, we're introduced to the show's lead character, Wendy (Sydney Chandler), who appears to be said young girl now fully implanted into a synthetic body.
Wendy volunteers to lead a group of soldiers to recover something hidden deep within a crashed spaceship, and no prizes for guessing what they're going to find on this vessel.
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The use of the series's now iconic musical cue, first introduced in 2012's 'Prometheus,' just adds to the overwhelming sense of dread.
However, what has impressed me most about the trailer is the stunning production design. I did have a fear that in the transition from the big screen to the smaller one, some of the franchise's unique visual identity would be lost, but that appears to be an unnecessary concern. There's no denying that, based on this trailer, 'Alien: Earth' looks like ... well, 'Alien.'
Smartly, the trailer is also extremely light on glimpses of the Xenomorph itself. The "Alien" series is always at its best when the headline monster is used sparingly, and I really hope this cards-to-the-chest approach is mirrored in the full series. Often, the threat that a tooth-tongued xeno is lurking in a dark corner is more impactful than a close-up encounter.
If you've missed all the hype already surrounding 'Alien: Earth,' it's the first TV show set in the legendary sci-fi horror franchise, and comes from Noah Hawley, the creator of fellow FX series 'Fargo' and 'Legion.'
Alongside Chandler, it'll feature Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav and Kit Young.
As noted, 'Alien: Earth' is set to premiere August 12 on FX and Hulu (or Disney Plus in the U.K.). Somebody get me a cryosleep pod, I can't wait that long.
OK, so I've gone full fanboy above, but to add a cautious counterpoint, there is one aspect of the trailer that has me concerned.
The hints of additional 'predatory' creatures beyond Xenomorph contained within the crashed spaceship have flared up my fears that this show will be a stealth setup for a new 'Alien vs. Predator' crossover.
The inclusion of a Weyland-Yutani synthetic in the most recent trailer for the upcoming 'Predator: Badlands' adds more fuel to the fire. It's pretty hard to deny that all signs point to the 'Alien' and 'Predator' universes being smushed together once again.
I don't hate the 'AVP' series — well, I don't hate the first 'AVP' movie; the sequel was hot garbage — it was my entry point into the 'Alien' franchise as a youth. A youth who was far too young to be watching such an R-rated flick.
Nevertheless, I firmly believe that 'Alien' and 'Predator' are both better standalone, and I'd much rather the two weren't spliced together.
Especially after the fantastic 'Alien: Romulus' (which I've now watched more than 10 times) got the series back on track in style, I'm just not convinced now is the time to try to make 'AVP' a thing again. However, like it or not, it certainly appears that is what's going to happen, in at least some form or another.
Nevertheless, even my concerns about this potential crossover aren't enough to blunt my anticipation, and come August, I look forward to thoroughly annoying my friends (and a few colleagues) by literally never shutting up about 'Alien: Earth.'
Here's hoping the final product thrills me as much as this trailer. Now I'm off to rewatch it frame-by-frame to find more clues.
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