Alien: Earth launches with a two-episode premiere on August 12, available on Hulu at 8 PM ET. International audiences can stream it on FX and Disney+ at 8 PM PT/ET. The eight-episode season will release new installments every subsequent Tuesday.
Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth unfolds in 2120, set after the events of Prometheus and just two years before the original Alien film and the Nostromo tragedy. The story begins when the deep-space research ship USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth. Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and a squad of tactical soldiers stumble upon a pivotal discovery that brings them face-to-face with the planet's ultimate threat.
For context, the recent interquel Alien: Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens.
At this stage in the Alien timeline, Earth is under the control of five major corporations: Weyland-Yutani (the primary antagonist corporation in the franchise), Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs and synthetics live alongside humans, but the status quo is disrupted when the CEO of Prodigy creates hybrids—humanoid robots embedded with human consciousness. Wendy is the first hybrid prototype, representing the ongoing corporate quest for immortality that runs through the Alien series.
An intriguing detail emerges: after a Weyland-Yutani spacecraft crashes into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids come across mysterious life forms "more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined."
This suggests the series will feature more monsters than just the Xenomorph, or potentially introduce new Xenomorph variants. Reports indicate there are five distinct types in total.
Here is the official synopsis:
In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype named “Wendy” marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, “Wendy” and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
Alien: Earth cast:
Sydney Chandler (Wendy), Timothy Olyphant (Kirsh), Alex Lawther (Hermit), Samuel Blenkin (Boy Kavalier), Babou Ceesay (Morrow), Adrian Edmondson (Atom Eins), David Rysdahl (Arthur Sylvia), Essie Davis (Dame Sylvia), Lily Newmark (Nibs), Erana James (Curly), Adarsh Gourav (Slightly), Jonathan Ajayi (Smee), Kit Young (Tootles), Diêm Camille (Siberian), Moe Bar-El (Rashidi), Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Yutani)
AI Characters (Synthetics) in the Alien Movie Franchise
View 8 Images
Last January, showrunner Noah Hawley discussed his decision to not incorporate the Prometheus backstory into Alien: Earth, citing his preference for the "retro-futurism" of the original movies. Hawley mentioned consulting with Alien creator Ridley Scott on various aspects of the series, including its connections to the prequels, but ultimately chose to diverge from the bioweapon narrative in favor of the original film's mythology.
The Alien franchise is currently bustling with activity. A sequel to Alien: Romulus is in development, and the franchise appears to be crossing over with Predator once again in the upcoming Predator: Badlands.
