Earth will not disrupt the aliens' timeline

Key conclusions

• Alien: Earth will be the first Alien series to go back in time to Earth for a new origin story.
• The series will explore the evolution of xenomorphs and show them as a threat, differing from previous interpretations.
• Alien: Earth could touch on questions left unanswered by the previous films, potentially weaving together the complex history of the franchise.

A new breed is hatched from the eggs An alien IP, and fans are still shaking with horror Aliens: Romulusthe franchise is about to go in a completely different direction. Coming to FX Hulu in 2025, Noah Hawley Alien: Earth is going to go somewhere An alien films have always been afraid to go: the home planet of mankind.

How to be the first An alien series, Alien: Earth will chronicle a different era in the franchise's history and transport viewers further back in time than ever before in Earth's origin story. While this won't necessarily serve as an origin story for the Xenomorphs themselves, it will instead look at how humanity ends up in the deplorable state it was in during Ridley Scott's original An alien.

Where does Alien: Earth fit in the Alien timeline?

If An alien came on the scene in 1979, things were pretty straightforward, and the franchise has moved on from 2122 since then. There was already a time jump between the original and James Cameron Alienswith Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) who was rescued in 2179. David Fincher is underrated Strangers 3 made it easy again when Ripley crashed Fiorina 161 right after Aliensbut with another great leap, Alien: Resurrection concludes the original series with Earth destroyed in 2381.

Seeing promise in the early days of Xenomorph evolution, Scott went back to the beginning and achieved prometheus a prequel set 29 years before the doomed voyage of the Nostromo in the first film. There were plans for four prequels that would tell the story of the events An alien. Although an Aliens: The Covenant sequel was abandoned, elements of this can be seen thanks to Ripley's Easter egg in the Romulus. however, Alien: Earth ignores all this and goes back even further Prometheus.

The action takes place in the year 2092, Alien: Earth lands shortly before Prometheus. It shouldn't matter because Prometheus mainly took place on the moon LV-223, while (as the name suggests) Alien: Earth takes place on Earth. There may be some crossover, like Prometheus began with Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) finding a star map in Scotland. However, Hawley promises that his series will tell its own story. Speaking to Variety in January 2024, the director explained how he feels about it Alien: Earth back to the hit retrofuturism of the 1979s An alien rather than a weird futuristic feel Prometheus:

“There's something about it that doesn't really matter to me. I prefer the retro-futurism of the first two films, and that's why I made this choice – no holograms. The convenience of this beautiful Apple store technology is beyond my reach.”

Despite Alien vs Predator films that take place on Earth, they are not considered canon due to recent events An alien and Predator movies. Although Hawley's series is expected to be challenging An alien timeline, Alien: Earth treading new territory means it's freer than in the movies.

Alien: Earth teases a different origin for the Xenomorphs

Scott was criticized for delving too deeply into the genesis of the xenomorphs, both of them Prometheus and Aliens: The Covenant revealing new types of aliens and implying that David (an android played by Michael Fassbender) was their creator. The Engineers had a mural of xenomorphs on the wall of their black goo bioweapon factory, suggesting that they are a much older race that David simply created an offshoot from.

Hawley leans into this wiggle room and confirmed that the xenomorphs are already a threat in Alien: Earth. Then it was confirmed by a short story for November 2024. Again in an interview with Variety, Hawley said he and Scott discussed logistics:

“For me, and for many people, this 'ideal life form' – as it was described in the first film – is the product of millions of years of evolution. […] The idea that at some level it was a bioweapon created half an hour ago is inherently less useful to me.'

With the first trailer showing a representation of Earth in the skull of a xenomorph, it was hinted that the series will follow the species arriving on the planet. Instead of just focusing on the Xenomorphs, Hawley teased it Alien: Earth delve deeper into the Weyland-Yutani Corporation's obsession with developing artificial intelligence. This may have had something to do with the casting of Timothy Olyphant as a synthesizer named Kirsch.

Showing Xenomorphs on Earth

Official synopsis for Alien: Earth confirms some of the above and provides some serious Aliens (1986) atmosphere without giving too much away:

“When a mysterious spacecraft crashes on Earth, a young woman and a group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that brings them face to face with the planet's greatest threat.”

Hawley doubled down on Earth's unique setting, telling Deadline:

“There is something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes that is truly terrifying.”

He said that while he couldn't confirm under what circumstances this would happen, there was a hint that the aliens would escape their corporate cages once the Weyland-Yutani inevitably got to them. The fact that the films don't mention that Earth was overrun by the Xenomorphs means that it could only be a small or temporary infestation.

Special issue Alien: Resurrection featured Ripley and Winona Rider Cal arriving at the ruins of Earth in 2381. In the same film, Ron Perlman's character refers to the Earth as a “hole”. Meanwhile, in covenant David says the human race is a “dying species” leaving the Earth in search of resurrection. ​​​​​​While it looks like Hawley will undo some of the Xenomorph lore Scott teased in the prequels, and possibly reveal the status of planet Earth, the fact that he's been in contact with the franchise's overlord suggests that it will all be intertwined together.

Despite the non-canonical status of Art AvP films, Hawley may even revisit the idea that the Xenomorphs were spread throughout the galaxy as part of a Predator hunting ritual. in the end RomulusFede Alvarez discussed the idea of ​​a new Alien vs Predator the movie. In any case, those disappointed with The covenantDangling plot threads may find answers to some questions in this prequel. with Alien: Earth arriving at the post-Romulus boom of love to An alien IP, there couldn't be a better time to bring viewers back to the beginning and put some more meat on those Xenomorph bones – especially against the familiar backdrop of Earth.