20th Century Studios released a new trailer and poster for the upcoming entry in the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus. Directed by Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) and produced by the original Alien director Ridley Scott, the trailer promises a return to the franchise’s roots as a sci-fi horror.
The trailer shows a group of young adults seeking a new life outside their colony, starting with scavenging an old derelict space station. However, they soon face a threat unlike any they have seen before and must fight to survive a new, dangerous species.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Álvarez explained how he wanted to explore different facets of the Alien universe while maintaining some themes and settings. For instance, the film would focus on a younger generation of explorers than the other films to help heighten the suspense regarding their inexperience surviving in space. “When the characters are professionals, they know more than you do. But when they’re still in their early 20s, they don’t know how to operate the fucking airlock,” Álvarez said. He also wanted to create a scenario for the audiences to relate to since the general moviegoer “is completely virgin to the realities of space.”
Lead actor Cailee Spaeny also stated that the synthetic character in this film would be different from past Alien prequels. Her character Rain has a synthetic for a brother, and they share a close relationship throughout the film. Even so, “there are difficulties growing up with a synthetic.” This marks a strong departure from past films by giving an android a heroic role and focusing on their fight to survive the Xenomorphs instead of focusing too much on characters like David from the previous films.
According to Álvarez, this main friend group will further explore this bond since the main characters grew up together while their parents colonized another planet. “There’s a lot of history between them because they’re the only family they have. They truly act more like surrogate siblings; some of them even lived under the same roof,” Álvarez explained. Romulus will explore and test these dynamics throughout the film as the characters struggle to stay together in the face of real horror.
Alien: Romulus will burst into theaters on August 16th, promising an intense flight into space, where no one can hear you scream.
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