Die hard fans of the Alien franchise are going to be rewarded by the latest installment, Alien: Romulus. The director, Fede Alvarez, along with the young cast, joined San Diego at Comic Con this year for an exciting and revealing panel about the upcoming August 2024 film. Cailee Spainey, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Spike Fearn, and Archie Renaux were all able to attend the panel. The cast and director shared their love of the original movies and their admiration for each other, along with also revealing never-before-seen clips of the film. 

The panel began with a discussion of the original franchise, and how it felt to follow in the footsteps of such an iconic set of movies. Fede Alvarez professed his respect for Alien and its sequels, and the actors were soon to voice the same appreciation. Alvarez explained, “I think you honor the audience when you really care”. However, Alvarez also stressed that Alien: Romulus wouldn’t be a movie created as a copy as the former Alien movies. The new Alien: Romulus film will be respectful to the history of the films and pay attention to the canon, but it will also be a movie that stands alone as its “own story”. 

Not only was Fede Alvarez thoughtful about the story itself, he was also very specific with every other aspect of the movie. Scenes were filmed chronologically, “fresh faces” were searched for in casting, and finally—and possibly most importantly—as much as possible, practical effects were used on set. Spike Fearn described the props and set saying, “Everything was very, very real”. 

Possibly the greatest sign of the promise of this new movie is how the cast talks about the movie and each other. Spainey warmly remembered how “It was always a constant debate and conversation” on set, and that she “fully trust[ed]” her director. Alvarez had equal praise, saying that the cast “…went above and beyond”. Everyone present was visibly excited for the film, something which Archie Renaux expressed when he said that he was “very proud of it”.

So what exactly can we expect from Alien: Romulus? The clips shown included a trailer, along with actual full scenes from the movie. The first clip continued to repeat the phrase “I have a rendezvous with death”, which set the tone for what was to come. The scenes that followed were captivating, keeping the entire audience tense and held in suspense, and there were literal screams, yells, and gasps at multiple jump scares. The emotions and panic in the actors were extremely well conveyed, the practical effects were realistic and horrifying, the lighting was often red and flashing, and all of the sequences were completely chilling. 

After the information shared at Comic-Con today, fans can confidently say that Alien: Romulus will become a welcome addition to the beloved Alien movies.