Summary

• Alien: Romulus will bring a fresh take to the franchise by blending elements of the slasher genre in a space setting.
• Director Fede Álvarez aims to create a new genre space for the Alien series by focusing on young, inexperienced characters facing cosmic terror.
• With Alien: Romulus, the franchise is seeking to thrive by exploring new genres beyond its original premise of a killer E.T. in space.

New details about Alien: Romulus suggest that it’s venturing into a new horror subgenre – something the franchise should've done to begin with. Set to be released in theaters on August 16, 2024, Alien: Romulus will take place between Alien and Aliens as a space crew full of fresh faces inspects a derelict old space station and encounters the bloodthirsty xenomorph. Don’t Breathe’s Fede Álvarez has assembled a cast of rising stars, including Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, and Isabela Merced.

When Álvarez announced that he planned to collate the best parts of Alien and Aliens in Alien: Romulus, it sparked concerns that he would just repeat what worked in the past instead of charting its own course within the Alien mythology. What made Aliens so successful was that James Cameron switched genres from the original’s “haunted house in space” setup to more of a high-octane action thriller. Based on the latest details about Alien: Romulus, it could be seeking its own genre space after all.

Alien: Romulus Is Shaping Up To Be An Alien Slasher Movie

It's looking like a Friday the 13th movie in space

The basic premise of Alien: Romulus is similar to previous installments: it’s about a space crew in the lonely depths of outer space coming into with the most terrifying lifeform in the universe. But the crew in this movie will be younger and more inexperienced than ever before. They’re not seasoned professionals like Dallas or Ripley; they’re new to the job. This focus on younger protagonists getting picked off by a vicious killer primes Alien: Romulus to be an Alien slasher movie.

In some ways, Ridley Scott’s timeless original Alien film was a slasher. It’s about a group of characters stuck in an isolated location, getting picked off one by one by a relentless killing machine. But Scott didn’t lean into the gore; he directed the film more like an Agatha Christie whodunit. And the cast is full of competent workers. By focusing on clueless twentysomething characters and leaning more heavily into the cosmic terror, Álvarez is aiming to deliver an Alien slasher movie (something this franchise should have done decades ago).

Why The Alien Franchise Needs New Genres To Thrive

There's only so much that can be done with the original premise

After Cameron’s pivot to all-out action and Álvarez’s pivot to a blood-soaked slasher, it seems as though the Alien franchise needs new genres to thrive. The reason for that is simple: there’s only so much that can be done with the original premise and genre framework of this franchise. The crux of the series is a killer E.T.; without resorting to fresh genres, that would get stale and repetitive real fast. With any luck, Alien: Romulus can kickstart a second wave of Alien films.