Alien: Earth EP Noah Hawley teases Xenomorphs on Earth: 'You're going to lock your door that night'

If you thought the menacing, hulking figures of the Xenomorphs stalking Cailee Spaeny in space throughout Alien: Romulus were terrifying, just wait until you see the next chapter of the franchise where the aliens could end up in your backyard.

For the first time in the film series history, the Xenomorphs are earthbound in the upcoming FX television drama Alien: Earth from Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley. During this year's Emmys ceremony, Hawley chatted with Deadline about what viewers will see in the upcoming sci-fi horror show.

There's been some skepticism about setting an Alien story on Earth. Part of what makes the movies so frightening is the cosmic horror of space isolation: being trapped somewhere unknown on territory that isn't meant for us, becoming the prey to a foreign apex predator. How will that work if the Xenomorphs are the stars of a more grounded storyline planetside?

Hawley seems confident that Alien: Earth will be just as scary as previous movies, adding that the effect of "seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes" will have an impact. To be fair, it's certainly a different approach to the series started by the 1979 film directed by Ridley Scott, and it could be a refreshing change of pace for the franchise to go in a new direction.

"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."

- Noah Hawley

Obviously, the Alien: Earth EP couldn't give away much information about the show, but he did tease the Xenomorph's design, noting that he didn't mess with the creature's general look and vibe because the silhouette is "sacrosanct," but he did experiment with the design to ensure it would all be "as scary as it should be."

The series follows a young woman played by Don't Worry Darling actress Sydney Chandler after she and a group of soldiers find a mysterious spaceship after it crashes onto Earth. Their investigation soon puts them in contact with one of the most threatening creatures in the universe. Alien: Earth is a prequel series and takes place 30 years before the events of Alien.

A teaser for Alien: Earth was released in front of select screenings of Alien: Romulus.

The series will be released at some point in 2025 on FX and also stream on Hulu and internationally via Disney+ and Star.