I told myself I’d try to avoid any more “Alien: Earth” footage since I want to go in as fresh as possible, considering trailers these days tend to give away too much.
But “Alien” is my favorite franchise, so when FX released a new featurette, I simply couldn’t resist. Thankfully, it didn’t turn out to be a mistake.
The new footage offers some behind-the-scenes glimpses with the cast and Noah Hawley, who’s already shared his ambitious multi-season vision for the series.
It also teases more of what to expect, including quick flashes of the new creatures and close-up shots of the incredible-looking Xenomorph, flashing its silver fangs in all its heavily-drooling glory (which fits what the producer promised about delivering more Xenomorph than any of the movies).
My hype levels were already breaching the galaxy, but somehow, the featurette pushed them even higher.
According to Hawley, “Alien: Earth” unfolds during the height of the Corporate Era, when a Weyland-Yutani vessel transporting alien lifeforms crash-lands on Earth, specifically on land owned by a powerful tech giant called the Prodigy Corporation.
At the helm of Prodigy is eccentric billionaire Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), who’s pushing the limits of science with a groundbreaking experiment: transferring human consciousness into synthetic bodies.
The result of that experiment is Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a 12-year-old girl whose consciousness now exists inside an adult synthetic form. And she’s not alone, as other children have undergone the same procedure, collectively known as “The Lost Boys.” As Kavalier put it: “What makes them geniuses is the fact that they're children.”
While this featurette focuses heavily on the horror aspect, there’s one thing that stood out to me: “Alien: Earth” is fundamentally a deep exploration of its characters.
It probes how people react under the immense strain of facing alien threats, including how fear and survival instincts shape their actions. At its core, it challenges the audience with a harsh question: is humanity truly worthy of survival? Spoiler alert: the answer leans toward no.
This is pretty much expected for a series, since there’s more time to dive into its characters and how they respond to the galaxy’s deadliest creatures… and then some. This is survival horror at its finest.
Set design so good, you’ll forget you’re not in space
The only concern I had when “Alien: Earth” was first announced was how they’d keep that classic “Alien” feel. The movies easily nail the claustrophobic sci-fi horror vibe in space, but this series is essentially eight hours of sci-fi horror set on Earth.
Movies generally have bigger budgets than TV series, especially when it comes to effects, sets, and overall production scale. So it’s only natural to wonder if a series (especially one spanning eight episodes) can maintain the same high quality.
But judging by the trailers and especially the behind-the-scenes footage from the featurette, I have nothing to worry about. “Alien: Earth” is clearly in very capable hands.
Even from the retro-futuristic labs to the brief scenes showing The Lost Boys checking out the bloodied wreckage of the Weyland-Yutani vessel, this feels distinctly “Alien,” and I couldn’t be happier.
Aside from the visuals, the featurette once again shows that Hawley is genuinely passionate about “Alien” especially when it comes to honoring the Xenomorph’s legacy.
Above all, “Alien: Earth” feels fresh within such an iconic franchise, and I’m excited we’re meeting more creatures pulled straight from the darkest corners of the galaxy. Because honestly, that’s just what humans do.
As David Rysdahl (who plays Arthur Sylvia) said: “When aliens come to our planet, we realize they're really the thing of nightmares… which we're gonna give people.”
Ready or not, the Xenomorphs are coming home. “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.
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