Alien: Romulus

Alien: Romulus
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Fede Álvarez
Written by	Fede Álvarez Rodo Sayagues
Based on	Characters by Dan O'Bannon Ronald Shusett
Produced by	Ridley Scott Michael Pruss Walter Hill
Starring	Cailee Spaeny David Jonsson Archie Renaux Isabela Merced Spike Fearn Aileen Wu
Cinematography	Galo Olivares
Edited by	Jake Roberts
Music by	Benjamin Wallfisch
Production companies	Scott Free Productions Brandywine Productions TSG Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Studios
Release dates	August 12, 2024 (2024-08-12) (Los Angeles) August 16, 2024 (2024-08-16) (United States)
Running time	119 minutes[1]
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$80 million
Box office	$350.8 million[2][3]

Alien: Romulus is a 2024 science fiction horror film directed by Fede Álvarez and written by Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Produced by Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions, it is part of the Alien franchise, set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu as six downtrodden young space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station.

At CinemaCon in April 2019, 20th Century Fox announced plans to produce future Alien films. Álvarez was attached as director in March 2022, and Spaeny joined as the lead later that year. Filming took place from March to July 2023. Alien: Romulus premiered in Los Angeles on August 12, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on August 16.

The film grossed over $350 million worldwide and received positive reviews, with many calling it the best Alien film since Aliens. Critics praised the performances of Spaeny and Jonsson as well as the visual and practical effects, but were critical of the digital inclusion of the late Ian Holm.

In 2142, a Weyland-Yutani probe recovers a large cocoon from the wreckage of the USCSS Nostromo.^[a] Months later, at the rundown Jackson's Star colony on the perpetually dark LV-410, orphaned colonist Rain Carradine learns that her work contract has been forcibly extended by Weyland-Yutani. Determined to escape, she joins a plan with her adopted brother Andy—a malfunctioning android reprogrammed by her father—her ex-boyfriend Tyler, his pregnant sister Kay, their cousin Bjorn, and Bjorn's adopted sister Navarro. The group commandeers the hauler Corbelan IV to reach Renaissance, a Weyland-Yutani station split into the modules Romulus and Remus, intending to steal cryostasis equipment to survive the multi-year journey to Yvaga III, an apparently idyllic planet unaffiliated with Weyland-Yutani.

The group realize the inactive station will collide with LV-410's planetary rings within hours. Andy interfaces with the station to allow them access to Remus, and learns that Yvaga III does not allow androids, meaning he will have to remain behind and leaving Rain guilt-ridden. Tyler and Bjorn attempt to retrieve cryostasis fuel, but unintentionally trigger a lockdown and release dozens of facehugger parasites. In desperation, Rain upgrades Andy's security access with a control chip from the station's damaged science officer android, Rook. However, this reprogramming shifts Andy's loyalty from Rain to Weyland-Yutani. Andy leads the group to safety, but not before a facehugger impregnates Navarro. Rain reactivates Rook, who reveals that the cocoon contained the xenomorph that killed most of the Nostromo's crew. Renaissance scientists experimented on the alien, reverse bioengineering the facehuggers. However, the xenomorph escaped, massacred most of the crew, and those remaining died when the xenomorph was killed and its acidic blood melted through Remus's hull, causing explosive decompression.

Bjorn tries to flee with Navarro and Kay on the Corbelan, but an infant xenomorph bursts from Navarro's chest, killing her and causing the Corbelan to crash into Romulus's hangar, accelerating the station's collision course with LV-410's planetary rings. While the infant xenomorph rapidly gestates into its adult form, Bjorn injures it with a stun baton and is sprayed with its blood, which kills him. Kay escapes into Romulus, pursued by the creature. Rain and Tyler attempt to rescue her, but Andy suspects the xenomorph is using her as bait and refuses to open the door separating them. Helpless, they watch as Kay is taken by the xenomorph.

Rook then instructs Andy to retrieve Z-01, a potent fluid harvested from the facehuggers which can rapidly rewrite and adapt DNA. Rook intends to use it to create genetically perfect humans, capable of thriving in space. He orders that it be taken to Jackson's Star or he will not release the Corbelan. Rain and Tyler arm themselves with rifles, but Andy warns them against firing weapons at the xenomorph to avoid another explosive decompression.

The group discovers a xenomorph nest, where they rescue a badly injured Kay. Andy offers her a dose of Z-01 which allows her to rapidly heal. They are attacked by hordes of facehuggers and xenomorphs, and Tyler sacrifices himself to protect Rain and Kay, while Andy is incapacitated. Rain drags Kay to safety and then returns to rescue Andy, removing Rook's control chip and restoring his original programming. With xenomorphs surrounding them, Rain disables the station’s gravity, allowing her to shoot them without their blood touching the hull. As the gravity reactivates, Rain is confronted by the Navarro xenomorph, but Andy intervenes and kills it. Rain and Andy barely escape aboard the Corbelan as Renaissance crashes into LV-410's rings and is destroyed.

As Rain and Andy prepare for their trip to Yvaga, Kay gives birth to a human–xenomorph hybrid mutated by the Z-01. The hybrid kills Kay and disables Andy before Rain ejects it into LV-410's rings, disintegrating it. After recording an audio log, Rain and Andy enter cryostasis, hoping to reach Yvaga III alive.

Cailee Spaeny (pictured in 2023), Archie Renaux (2022), and Isabela Merced (2024)

The film centers on three pairs of siblings, whether blood relatives or found family:^{[b][9][10][7]}

• Cailee Spaeny as Rain, an orphaned miner^[11]
• David Jonsson as Andy, an android reprogrammed by Rain's late father as her surrogate brother^[12]
• Archie Renaux as Tyler, Kay's brother and Rain's ex-boyfriend^[12]
• Isabela Merced as Kay, Tyler's pregnant sister^[11]
• Spike Fearn as Bjorn, Tyler and Kay's cousin^[12]
• Aileen Wu as Navarro, a pilot and Bjorn's adopted sister^{[6][4][13][14]}

Rook, an android science officer on board the Romulus, is voiced by Daniel Betts, while his physical appearance is based on the likeness of the late Ian Holm, who portrayed the android Ash in the original film.^[15] After securing permission from Holm's estate, Rook was realised by effects company Legacy Effects, who created an animatronic head and torso based off a headscan Holm had made during the production of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. For certain shots, the practical character was also enhanced by CGI and deepfake AI technology from the CGI company Metaphysic, such as for lip syncing lines or enhancing its nose and eyes.^[16][17] Betts' dialogue recordings were then modified with the filtering software Speecher, to be based on Ash's dialogue pulled from the original Alien.^[16]

Trevor Newlin portrays the xenomorph,^[18] while the human–xenomorph hybrid (credited as the "Offspring") is portrayed by Romanian former basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi.^[19] To portray the Offspring, Bobroczkyi wore full body prosthetic makeup created by Legacy Effects, with the exception of the creature's tail which was CGI.^[20][21][22]

After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox confirmed at the 2019 CinemaCon that future Alien films were in development.^[23] In March 2022, it was reported that Fede Álvarez would write and direct a seventh Alien film after pitching his own story, said to be "unconnected" to the previous films in the franchise, with the project set to be released on Hulu.^[24] Álvarez later clarified that the film was not a standalone story.^[25] The film was said to take place between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), with some technical crew members returning from the latter film.^[26]

Álvarez stuck as close as possible to the established canon of the film series and used the fan wiki Xenopedia as a reference point while writing the story.^[27] The film features connections and references to all of the six prior Alien films—Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), and Alien: Covenant (2017)—in some capacity.^[28][29] In particular, the film ties directly to Alien and Prometheus, with Weyland-Yutani recovering the xenomorph that attacked Ellen Ripley in Alien from the USCSS Nostromo, an android named Rook who physically resembles Ash from the first film, and the "black goo" from Prometheus that gives birth to a human–xenomorph hybrid resembling an Engineer from Prometheus and the creature from the ending of Resurrection.^[29][30][31] Rook appears via an animatronic with the likeness of the late Ian Holm, who previously portrayed Ash. Álvarez confirmed the connections to Prometheus and stated that the hybrid's resemblance to the Engineers was intentional; this was done to bridge the gap between the prequels and the original films.^[32][33] The film also draws inspiration from the video game Alien: Isolation (2014).^[34] This involved integrating the emergency phone registration points from the game into the film's set design. These phones, which functioned as save points in the game, serve as easter eggs that foreshadow impending danger for the audience.^[35] The pregnancy of character Kay was inspired by Dina from The Last of Us Part II (2020) due to Álvarez playing the game while writing the film.^[36][37]

By November 2022, Cailee Spaeny had entered negotiations to star.^[38] In March 2023, Isabela Merced was set to co-star opposite Spaeny.^[11] Later that month, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu joined the cast.^[12] Renaux also auditioned for Jonsson's role and was secretly cast in December 2022; while Fearn was cast in February 2023 after two quick self tapes.^[39]

Principal photography took place in Budapest from March 9 to July 3, 2023,^[41][42][43] utilizing unique locations including a working power plant for the Jackson's Star mining colony.^[40] Production designer Naaman Marshall aimed to reinterpret the Alien world while honoring the franchise's legacy, particularly the first two films in the series.^[40] As such, the Romulus section of the Renaissance space station was designed to be reminiscent of the set design seen in the film Alien and the video game Alien: Isolation, influenced by the original Alien concept art by Ron Cobb, as well as industrial heavy-lift machinery and vehicles.^[40] Meanwhile, the more advanced Remus section was designed to be reminiscent of the production design depicted in the film Aliens.^[40] Sets were built as enclosed spaces, with the cockpit of the Corbelan IV hauler built on a gimbal to simulate flight.^[40]

The film was filmed chronologically and emphasized practical effects, using physical sets and creature designs to enhance realism.^[44] This approach focused on creating a tangible, immersive experience, contrasting with the heavier reliance on CGI in modern productions.^[45][16] To that end, effects companies Legacy Effects, Studio Gillis, and Wētā Workshop created the film's practical adult Xenomorphs, chestbursters and facehuggers, respectively,^[46][47][48] and the production would alternate between using animatronics, rod puppets or creature suits depending on the amount of movement required for the shot.^[46][49] The Xenomorph was made to more closely resemble H. R. Giger’s original Alien design from the first film, rather than designs from the sequels.^[49] Filmefex Studios created the prosthetic makeup for the actors as well as the film's dead bodies, while a sequence showing time lapse security footage of a rat being crushed and regenerated was stop motion animation created by Phil Tippett.^[50] One notable design element is the pulse rifle, which merges features from the original Alien flamethrower and the Aliens pulse rifle. This hybrid design reflects the film's intent to blend elements from both films, creating something familiar yet new.^[45]

Cinematographer Galo Olivares shot the film using Arri Alexa 35 digital cameras with Arri Master Prime and Ultra Prime aspheric lenses for a 2.39:1 aspect ratio.^[51][52] This was chosen to be a visual balance between Alien, which was shot using anamorphic lenses in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and Aliens, which was filmed using aspheric lenses for a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.^[51] Olivares would begin filming scenes with wide angle lenses, and gradually switch to increasingly longer lenses as scenes became more intense, with a 75mm lens being the longest lens used.^[51] Álvarez selected an orange hue as the film's defining color, diverging from the blue tones of earlier "Alien" films. This choice aimed to give the film a distinct visual identity while maintaining a connection to the franchise's established aesthetic.^[45]

Álvarez consulted Alien director Ridley Scott and Aliens director James Cameron during the film's production, who both expressed approval.^[25]

The film's computer generated imagery was created by effects studios Industrial Light and Magic, Fin Design, Image Engine, Tippett Studio, Wētā FX, Wylie Co., Atomic Arts, and Metaphysic.^[53]

Visual effects artist Ian Hunter created miniature effects for the film, including the spaceship Corbelan IV and the Weyland-Yutani Echo probe. These effects would be either filmed directly, or scanned into a computer for CGI modeling.^[40][54][55] Originally the miniatures were only designed work as visual effect aids, however, the miniatures were eventually built, painted and finished by effects company Studio Gillis and shot in front of full screens and smoke.^[40] Filming of miniatures took place in Los Angeles to facilitate the required stage space, crew members and amenities.^[40]

The score was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch.^[56] The score features themes and cues from Alien, composed by Jerry Goldsmith; Aliens, composed by James Horner; and the tracks 'Life' and 'We Were Right' from Prometheus, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams.^[57] The composition "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla" from Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold, which was heavily featured in Alien: Covenant, is also heard.^[58] The soundtrack album was released by Hollywood Records on August 16.^[59] A vinyl edition of the soundtrack, featuring six bonus tracks, is set for release on November 15.^[60]

After early reviews found the third act to be divisive, Disney promptly created digital ads to generate buzz by urging audiences to watch the movie before hearing spoilers about the ending. The marketing was reliant on the legacy of the Alien brand, with the first trailer on March 20 amassing nearly 50 million views in 24 hours. Cinema partnerships offered customized food, beverage items, and life-size xenomorph statues, which were widely shared on social media. These products also included a popcorn bucket, part of a trend after Dune: Part Two (see popcorn bucket meme) and Deadpool & Wolverine earlier in the year. The campaign also extended across Disney's platforms, with takeovers on ESPN SportsCenter, Alien marathons on FX, and prominent placement on Hulu and Disney+. Promotional tie-ins included limited edition Reebok x Aliens shoes, Alien-themed beer from Angel City Brewery, and cosmetics from Phoenix Rising. Additionally, the franchise offered consumer products and hosted a partnership with the video game Dead by Daylight, which featured a new character tied to the film's release. Marketing efforts capitalized on the franchise's legacy, according to Deadline Hollywood, with 52% of audiences polled by Screen Engine and Comscore PostTrak citing their love for the series as the main reason for watching the movie on opening weekend.^[61]

Alien: Romulus was originally intended to be released directly on Hulu,^[24] but Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures moved the film to a theatrical release shortly before filming commenced.^[25][62] The film held its world premiere in Los Angeles on August 12, 2024,^[63] and screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 15 for its British premiere. It was released by 20th Century Studios in the United States and United Kingdom the following day, on August 16.^[64]

Alien: Romulus was released through digital download on October 15, 2024, and is scheduled for release on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 3, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It includes deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.^[65] It will also receive a limited release on VHS on the same date, making it the first installment in the series to receive an official release on the format since Alien vs. Predator (2004), as well as the first major Hollywood film to do so since 2006.^[66]

As of October 29, 2024^[update], Alien: Romulus has grossed $105.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $245.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $350.8 million.^[2][3] The film made $40 million from global IMAX, making it the highest-grossing horror film in the format.^[67]

In the United States and Canada, Alien: Romulus was projected to gross $28–40 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates going as high as $45–55 million.^[62][68][69] The film made $18 million on its first day, including $6.5 million from Thursday night previews.^[70] It went on to debut to $42 million, topping the box office.^[71] The three-day opening included an estimated 2.7 million admissions and was the second-highest for the franchise and a record for director Fede Álvarez (beating the $26.4 million earned by 2016's Don't Breathe) and actress Cailee Spaeny (surpassing the $28.1 million earned by 2018's Pacific Rim Uprising). When asked about the biggest factors in watching the film, audiences polled by PostTrak listed the in-theater trailer (21%), online trailer (13%), and word of mouth (13%).^[61] In its second weekend, the film made $16.4 million, a drop of 61%, finishing behind holdover Deadpool & Wolverine.^[72][73] In just two weekends, the film became the second highest-grossing horror film in IMAX with $31.2 million, only behind Prometheus ($31.8 million).^[72] Outside the United States and Canada, the film made $68.1 million from international markets in its opening weekend for a global $110.1 million debut, which The New York Times listed as a success.^[74] Its international gross included $25.7 million from China, which Deadline Hollywood called an "over-performance".^[75] It was the second highest-grossing Hollywood film in China of the year with $110 million, behind Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.^[76][72][77]

Alien: Romulus received positive reviews from critics.^{[78][79][80][81]} The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that critics praised the film's "striking visuals and claustrophobic terror with gory action and a formidable lead performance from Cailee Spaeny", calling it "arguably the best installment since Aliens".^[82] On the website, 80% of 383 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.9/10. Its critics consensus reads: "Honoring its nightmarish predecessors while chestbursting at the seams with new frights of its own, Romulus injects some fresh acid blood into one of cinema's great horror franchises."^[83] According to Metacritic, the film received "generally favorable" reviews based on a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 from 57 critics.^[84] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 82% positive score, with 65% saying they would definitely recommend it.^[61]

Jordan Hoffman of Entertainment Weekly praised the film's direction, design, and writing, calling it "impressive, however, especially in how it looks like a new movie but is simpatico with the tech of the 1979 original" and deemed Spaeny "the finest weapon in the arsenal… differentiating herself quite a bit from the doe-eyed characters she played in Civil War and Priscilla. Her petite nature may not scream action hero, but, as has long been established, in space, no one can hear you scream anyway."^[85] Owen Gleiberman of Variety called Alien: Romulus "one of the best Alien sequels... It delivers the slimy creep-out goods in a way that none of the last three Alien films have." He further wrote that "Spaeny, with her clear eyes and serene resolve, makes her presence felt as Rain, the closest equivalent here to the fearless Ripley."^[86]

James Mottram, in a five star review for NME, described the film as "thrilling and scary" and coming "close to the brilliance of Ridley Scott and James Cameron". He praised the production design, digital work, practical and visual effects and the score. Mottram described the performance of Jonsson as Andy as a "stand-out"^[87] a view shared by Clarisse Loughrey writing for The Independent.^[88]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle criticized the film, writing: "The first 45 minutes are boring beyond description. [...] The script has the aliens waking up and falling asleep at the convenience of the screenwriters, not in a way that makes consistent sense. [...] The foundational mistake came when someone said, 'Hey, let's make another Alien movie.' News flash: The alien concept is dead. Leave it alone, and leave poor Ian Holm out of it."^[89] David Ehrlich of Indiewire wrote: "The director would rather torture his cast than develop their characters. There's nothing inherently wrong with that trade-off, but Álvarez doesn't satisfy the first half of the equation well enough to justify his disregard for the second. High on jolts [...] and low on more probing scares, Romulus isn't nearly inventive enough to forefront its slaughter at the expense of its soul."^[90] Bilge Ebiri, writing for Vulture, expressed disappointment in the film's lessened ambition in comparison with other installments, stating that it is "a film engineered mostly to provide some basic genre thrills and keep the IP alive so that the now-Disney-owned Fox can generate more Alien movies.... Alien: Romulus is diverting enough, but it's also instantly forgettable—something I don't think I've ever said about any other Alien film, good or bad."^[91]

The decision to digitally add the late Ian Holm for the character of Rook was widely criticized.^[92][93] Wendy Ide of The Guardian called it "a queasily misguided choice" that was "ghoulish, exploitative, disrespectful and unnecessary".^[94] In Slate, Sam Adams said: "Why let the dead rest when there's IP [intellectual property] to be mined?". He went on to compare the film's studio to the franchise's villainous Weyland-Yutani corporation, in that it's "a massive conglomerate that puts profit ahead of respect for human lives".^[95] Loughrey called it "ethically problematic" and "cinematic necromancy"^[88] while Jesse Schedeen for IGN called it an "unforced error" that was "distractingly bad and completely unnecessary" and which almost ruined the movie.^[96] Similarly, Chris Evangelista for SlashFilm said: "It's distracting and weird. It never, ever looks real [...] The simple truth here is that not only does this look bad, it's a bad idea all around".^[97] The Daily Telegraph critic Tim Robey commented, "One thing I never thought I'd complain about in 2024 was a film having too much Ian Holm in it".^[93]

Álvarez in response to the backlash compared the use of CGI to recreate Ian Holm's likeness to other actors' wearing prosthetics to portray historical figures, such as Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour: "I don't think Churchill wanted that, and I think that's worse, because that is them pretending to be them... This is not me pretending it's Ian Holm... It's just the makeup that makes it look like him."^[98] Reviewer James Mottram praised the digital inclusion saying that it "works well, both technically and narratively."^[87]

Alien: Romulus was nominated for Most Anticipated Movie for the 2nd Half of 2024 at the 7th Astra Midseason Movie Awards, but lost to Joker: Folie à Deux.^{[99][100][101]}

It was nominated for two Hollywood Professional Association Awards; Outstanding Sound – Theatrical Feature and Outstanding Visual Effects – Live Action Feature.^[102]

A tie-in prequel comic book, bridging the events of Alien and Romulus, written by Zac Thompson and drawn by Daniel Picciotto, was published by Marvel Comics in October 2024.^[103] The one-shot explores the events that unfolded on the space station Renaissance, providing context for the alien encounter faced by Rain, Andy, and their crew aboard the deteriorated spacecraft.^[104][105]

Álvarez told Brian Davids of The Hollywood Reporter that he has ideas in mind for a sequel to Romulus, but did not want to rush into anything, citing the seven-year gap between the first two films: "We really try to think about it more in terms of story and if it needs another chapter and whether people want to know what happens next. So we'll wait to see what people think and if people ask for it. My philosophy is that you should never make [a sequel] in two years. You've got to get away. You've got to get the audience to really want it. If you think about Alien and Aliens, there's seven years between them. But we definitely have ideas about where it should go."^[106]

Álvarez also said he was open to directing a third Alien vs. Predator film, proposing to Melanie Brooks and Anthony D'Alessandro of Deadline Hollywood that he would enjoy directing it along with Dan Trachtenberg, the director of the Predator films Prey (2022) and Predator: Badlands (2025): "Maybe it's something I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan. Maybe we should do like [Quentin] Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did with [From] Dusk till Dawn. I'll direct a half, and he'll direct another half."^[107]

In October 2024, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said, "We're working on a sequel idea now. We haven't quite closed our deal with Fede [Alvarez], but we are going to, and he has an idea that we're working on."^[108]

• Official website
• Alien: Romulus at IMDb 
• Alien: Romulus at Letterboxd