00:0010, 9, 8, 7...
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at narrative and behind-the-scenes details
00:08to prepare Alien fans for the franchise's highly anticipated TV debut, Alien Earth.
00:13I want this thing to go smooth and by the numbers.
00:19Number 10. The Franchise
00:20In 1979, both sci-fi and horror were changed forever by Ridley Scott's Alien.
00:26The high-concept production, claustrophobic aesthetic, and unforgettably terrifying visuals
00:31marked a singular achievement in visceral filmmaking.
00:40There was no missing the screams after that.
00:43Following James Cameron's equally acclaimed 1986 sequel, Aliens,
00:47an elaborate multimedia industry exploded.
00:50No! Here! Here!
00:54Run!
00:55Besides the sequels and spinoffs, this franchise has spawned toys, video games,
01:00literature, and so much more.
01:01The film series has grossed almost $2 billion at the box office and scored dozens of awards,
01:07including three Oscars.
01:08And yet it has never produced a TV show or even set a film on the futuristic Earth.
01:13After 46 years, one of sci-fi's most successful brands is landing on FX with Alien Earth.
01:19We can do it. We're fast. We're strong. We don't break.
01:23Number 9. The Story
01:26Since its development was announced in 2020,
01:29Alien Earth has slowly unveiled its premise to support hype and intrigue.
01:32What we do know for sure is that this is the first time the definitive space horror brand
01:37has set an installment mostly on our homeworld.
01:40In 2120, a space vessel crash-lands and unleashes something hostile, ostensibly the Xenomorph.
01:48The ensuing investigation by android Synthetics, military personnel, and researchers is a quintessential alien setup.
01:55But with the new setting, the stakes are higher than ever for humanity.
01:58Invasive species. Predatory.
02:03The story's long-form format opens opportunities to explore the technology, culture, and politics of Earth in the distant future.
02:10Never mind a mythology that's been almost five decades in the making.
02:13We don't lock them down.
02:18It will be too late.
02:21Number 8. The Lore
02:22The Alien franchise stands out from other high sci-fi universes for its incremental story development.
02:27The first installment didn't overcomplicate the premise of blue-collar astronauts discovering a desolate alien planet,
02:33thus infesting their ship with a parasitic life form and its monstrous offspring.
02:41The follow-ups experimented with themes like space colonization, scientific inquiry, artificial intelligence, and interplanetary corporatocracy.
02:49My name is Clemens. I'm the chief medical officer here.
02:53Here.
02:54Fury 161. It's one of Weyland-Yutani's backwater work prisons.
03:00Grieves me to say.
03:02Alien Earth will surely delve deeper into the heavily stratified societal and social dynamics under the dominion of companies like Weyland Corp.
03:09Ridley Scott previously contemplated the complexities of this transhumanist, hyper-capitalist society with two prequel films.
03:16Why do you think your people made me?
03:17We made you because we could.
03:23Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same thing from your creator?
03:28This includes the idea that human genetics are descended from an extraterrestrial species dubbed the Engineers.
03:34But fans' polarized response raises big questions about the direction Earth will take.
03:39Number 7. The Canon
03:40Alien Earth is set two years before Ridley Scott's original film and 27 years after his Prometheus.
03:47Showrunner Noah Hawley has expressed a desire to distance his vision from Scott's prequels as much as possible.
03:53Okay.
03:55Try it.
03:56The door is still open to connect Earth to these films, as well as the more traditionalist standalone spinoff Alien Romulus.
04:03The bigger dilemma is Alien vs. Predator.
04:05Based on a Dark Horse comic series, this crossover with the Predator franchise presented the Xenomorph as a prehistoric invader revived in the early 21st century.
04:19As the aliens took their feud to a broad scale in the critically panned Requiem, it's been debated whether AVP is canon.
04:26The TV series may yet settle all these arguments.
04:29Put down your weapons.
04:31Number 6. The New Setting
04:33Planet Earth may be a familiar setting for audiences, but not for the Alien franchise.
04:38Ten seconds, people. Look sharp!
04:40Alien Earth takes place around the high-tech prodigy city, named for one of the planet's ruling corporations.
04:45It's a sleek, massive metropolis to contrast with the suspense that our heroes find in the surrounding area.
04:51Noah Hawley has stated his goal to revive the retro-futurist aesthetic of the original film and James Cameron's Aliens.
04:57That's the plan. You have my word on it.
05:00This means forgoing the space opera elements of Prometheus and Alien Covenant to downsize technology, backstory, and scope.
05:07The premise and production suggest a different idea.
05:10To what extent Hawley plans to explore this new world, it's unlike anything we've seen before in the cinematic universe.
05:21Number 5. The Alien
05:22For all the complexities of the Alien universe, it's all about the mascot.
05:26A xenomorph, originally designed by surrealist artist H.R. Giger, is born from a facehugger latching onto an animal's face
05:33and implanting an embryo that gestates to the host's anatomy.
05:37Excuse me, sir. A what?
05:38A xenomorph.
05:40The host eventually dies in agony as a chestburster emerges and rapidly matures into a giant hybrid.
05:46The predatory creature's corrosive blood, sharp claws and tail, and retractable inner jaw make for a nightmarish killing machine.
05:53Prometheus even revealed that the species was created as a bioweapon by the engineers,
05:58then bred for genocide by the synthetic David in Covenant.
06:01You engineer these, David?
06:03Idle hands of the devil's workshop, Captain.
06:06This contradicts the backstory posited by AVP.
06:09However Earth approaches the xenomorph, you need not know much to recognize the threat.
06:14Monsters.
06:15Number 4. The Production
06:17It's no secret why it took so long to bring Aliens to the small screen.
06:21Come on! God damn it!
06:23The films raised a standard for art direction and special effects that was long considered unachievable for this format.
06:29With the peak TV era featuring productions to rival the biggest movies,
06:33Alien Earth makes up for lost time.
06:35Prodigy City is built with sprawling sets that use CGI only to refine the futuristic tech.
06:40This ship...
06:42...collected specimens.
06:45The show dedicatedly uses practical effects as much as possible.
06:49That especially goes for the xenomorph, whose terrifying form has been seldom seen in promotions.
06:55The prosthetics are applied to stunt performer Cameron Brown,
06:57whose physicality and 6'2 build promise an intimidating villain indeed.
07:02But what about the castmates who substantiate the suspense?
07:08Number 3. The Cast
07:10If I'm not human, what am I?
07:14Alien Earth features a massive acting ensemble of all-stars and rising talents.
07:19Sydney Chandler makes her headliner debut as Wendy,
07:22an experimental synthetic that contains the consciousness of a dying human.
07:25The daughter of veteran actor Kyle Chandler first broke out on FX
07:28with her charismatic portrayal of future rock star Chrissy Hynde on the biographical miniseries Pistol.
07:33Her on-screen mentor Kirsch is played by fellow FX veteran Timothy Oliphant of Justified,
07:43among many other acclaimed productions.
07:45And Wendy's brother Hermit is played by Alex Lothar of the end of the f***ing world fame.
07:50Now he's facing a proper apocalyptic scenario.
07:53Did you bring money with you?
07:55Didn't you?
07:56With Samuel Blinken, S.E. Davis, Adarsh Gaurav, and others also bringing an international fanbase,
08:02there's enough prestige in front of the camera.
08:04Number 2. The Crew
08:06If nothing else instills hope for the show, it's the showrunner.
08:09After a writing and producing stint on Fox's bones,
08:12Noah Hawley adapted the Coen brothers' classic Fargo into one of the best and boldest shows on TV.
08:18I figured it out.
08:21Good for you.
08:21Such rich experimentation with genres and storytelling extended to Legion,
08:26a surreal psychological thriller loosely based on a Marvel character.
08:31What is so funny?
08:36I'm insane, you idiot.
08:39Hawley is bringing an incredible resume to another franchise reimagining for FX.
08:44Accompanying him are frequent collaborators like director-cinematographer Dana Gonzalez,
08:48writer Bob De Laurentiis, and score composer Jeff Russo.
08:51Hawley's clearly extensive creative control is a testament to FX's faith in him.
08:57So too is Ridley Scott giving his blessing as an executive producer.
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09:21Number one, the future.
09:25In the five years since Alien Earth was first announced, very little of its concept and production have been revealed.
09:31How's our girl?
09:33She's ready.
09:34Never mind its future, be that the planned number of seasons or the narrative connection to other installments in the franchise.
09:39Still, fans are very eager to see the visionary talents push boundaries with both the lore and the art of television.
09:45Five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe.
09:50The eight-episode first season airs on FX where available starting on August 12th, 2025.
09:56Each episode will be simultaneously released for streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus internationally.
10:02Keep up with reminders since you might not be able to hear any screams.
10:05Granted, we're not in space anymore.
10:07What are some other details you want to know or are excited about going into Alien Earth?
10:16Burst into the comments below.
10:18That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over.
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