The Xenomorphs are coming to Earth and they're going to be here sooner than you might expect. FX has finally shared new photos and an official release date for the upcoming prequel series Alien: Earth, created by Noah Hawley (Fargo). We already knew the series would arrive this summer, but now we know it's going to premiere with two episodes on August 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and Disney+, along with a simultaneously linear airing on FX.
In addition to a release date and more story details, we also know that the first season of the series will consist of eight episodes in total, meaning it will start on August 12 and wrap up with its season finale on September 23.
Production on Alien: Earth got underway in 2023, though filming was later halted amid the SAG-AFTRA strike. It finally wrapped last year and FX has been working diligently to promote the show. Most recently, the network revealed plans for an immersive free and public event to be hosted at AREA15 in Las Vegas. It starts this weekend. (Click here for more details.)
Set in 2120, Alien: Earth will take place before the events of the original Ridley Scott-directed movie Alien, meaning that this is before everything that happened on the Nostromo. For reference, last year's blockbuster Alien film took place directly after Alien and featured characters exploring the Nostromo's ship wreckage.
Corporations like Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold were at the height of their power during this time period as the primary five companies governing the planet. Prodigy manages to race ahead of the other companies in the pursuit of immortal life by creating a hybrid being, or a synthetic android as Alien fans will come to know from the other films in the franchise. As a result, it seems Weyland-Yutani intentionally crashes a vessel holding a Xenomorph onboard into the Prodigy city.
One of the show's main characters is a synth named Wendy (Sydney Chandler). Those familiar with Alien know that Weyland-Yutani is usually the corporation referred to for all things synthetic and that comes into play in the show.
Here's the new series information from FX, via IGN:
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.
Some of the new photos released show us a look at Timothy Olyphant's character, Kirsh, who acts as Wendy's mentor. Other actors cast in the series include Babou Ceesay, Samuel Blenkin, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Kit Young, Erana James, Ardash Gourav, and more.
Alien: Earth has several teasers now and I still think the most interesting of the bunch is the video that teases five different species of Xenomorphs being introduced in the show, suggesting Weyland-Yutani has been doing a lot of experimentation. Alien: Romulus shared a connection to movies like Prometheus and Alien: Covenant and the existence of these five species indicates that the show could, too. Could we see the emergence of the Trilobite from Prometheus? Or maybe some altogether new abomination?
We'll find out soon enough when the series premieres on August 12 on FX, Hulu, and Disney+.