Alien: Earthshowrunner Noah Hawley addresses the Xenomorph’s role in his upcoming show and teases a new form. Hawley, who is best known for creating theFargoTV adaptation, is set to bring an entirely new franchise entry to life with FX’sAlien: EarthTV show, which brings the action to Earth for the very first time and takes place three decades before Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 film. The show’s story chronicles the arrival of a mysterious spacecraft on Earth, following a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a team of soldiers as they make a fateful discovery.
During a recent interview withDeadlineat the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, Hawley confirms that the Xenomorph will appear inAlien: Earth. The showrunner also teases that, while it will be the same alien creature that audiences know and love,there has been an evolution of the design based on this creature’s particular “host.“Read Hawley’s comments below:
“It’s an epic production, and what I can say is, there’s something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes that is truly chilling, to think of it moving here among us. And so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it — and you’re going to lock your door that night,”
“What was really fun for me was to really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to its design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct. But some of the elements as we know, whatever the host is, informs what the final creature is, and so I just wanted to play around a little bit to make it as scary as I thought it could be.”
What This New Xenomorph Form Means For Alien: Earth
How It Could Break Alien Franchise Tradition
With some exceptions, each new installment in theAlienfranchise has introduced a new iteration of the Xenomorph. InAliens(1986), for example, James Cameron introduces the massive Xenomorph Queen, while theAlien: Romulus(2024) endingtakes afterAlien: Resurrection(1997) with its introduction of more of a hybrid take on the iconic creature.Alien: Earth, then, isn’t breaking from franchise tradition in terms of evolving the Xenomorph design.
Alien: Romulushas been a major success critically and commercially, recently surpassing $330.7 million worldwide on a budget of $80 million. This suggests interest in the franchise remains high, which bodes well for Hawley’s TV show.
Alien: Romulus’ New Xenomorph Explained: Origin, Differences, & Future
Alien: Romulus introduces a new Xenomorph to the long-running franchise, and it’s one of the most frightening additions to the series in ages.
What remains to be seen, however, is what host will incubate this new Xenomorph form.Alien: Earth’s storyteases suggest the ship that lands on Earth will carry with it a Xenomorph or facehugger, opening up some exciting possibilities. While there have been plenty of Xenomorphs born from human hosts, Earth features a variety of other fauna that could incubate the creature and impart characteristics onto it.A Xenomorph incubated inside an animal like a grizzly bear, for example, would be a franchise firstand a potentially terrifying combination.
Our Take On Alien: Earth’s New Xenomorph Form
Noah Hawley’s Show Has A Unique Opportunity
Although it would have been interesting to see a show formatted as a thriller about the inner workings of the Weyland-Yutana Corporation, it probably wouldn’t feel like anAlienTV show without a Xenomorph. The show already marks an interesting first in terms of its Earth setting, but Hawley’s latest comment suggests thatthis new location will be about more than just a change in scenery.
IfAlien: Earthcan truly take advantage of its new setting and place in the timeline, as well as its TV format, another first for the franchise, it has an opportunity to be something special and different from what’s come before it. Considering Hawley’s ongoing work on the critically-acclaimedFargo, the series is certainly in good hands.
