“In space, no one can hear you scream.” That iconic tagline has resonated in the hearts and souls of generations of moviegoers, and for the past four decades, the Alien franchise has set the bar for the sci-fi/horror genre.
The brilliance of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film forged life into a groundbreaking franchise that features remarkable directors (James Cameron, David Fincher, and Jean-Pierre Jeanuet, among others), never-before-seen creatures, and cutting-edge effects that defined what it means to be truly scared.
The journey for the latest standalone film in the epic Alien franchise began when Fede Alvarez presented his ideas to the acclaimed filmmaker years ago. Immediately hooked, Fede Alvarez’s version displayed a true vision, and together with Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2″), they made an Alien film for 2024 that represents a moderating evolution of the franchise.
Alvarez and Sayagues crafted a script that not only understands the mythology but also how the characters, the horror, and the suspense—which have historically been fantastic across the Alien franchise—can exist today. James Cameron, who wrote and directed 1986’s Aliens, met with Alvarez early in the writing process, offering invaluable insight and suggestions on everything from character development to the creation of the aliens.
The path from inception to filming results from several creative breakthroughs on Alvarez’s part. “There is a deleted scene in Aliens where a bunch of kids are running among the workers in the colony,” explains Alvarez. “I remember thinking about what it would be like for teenagers to grow up in a colony so small and what would happen to them when they reached their early 20s.”
That premise gave birth to the story of Alien: Romulus, giving the franchise a new spin. Alvarez’s and Sayagues’s original story is set roughly 20 years after the first Alien movie and about 37 years before Aliens. While scavenging a decommissioned space station, hoping to find the technology necessary to leave their doomed planet behind, a group of young colonists unwillingly awakens the most terrifying organism in the universe.
In celebration of Alien: Romulus, The Koalition spoke to director Alvarez to learn more about the creation of the movie, how Romulus is updated for today’s generation, how it dives into the lore of Aliens, and more.
“The movie’s intention was not to get it to evolve too much. Instead, it was to take it back to the beginning. There’s a whole new generation that could get in and start watching this film without feeling like they are missing out. I didn’t want people to watch this film and feel suddenly there’s references to characters and things they haven’t seen, and they feel it’s not for them. This movie is a perfect entry point for anyone who hasn’t seen any of the Alien movies. I’m actually jealous of people who can come into this movie without knowing any of the Alien movies and be exposed in two hours to 45 years of some of the best ideas in science fiction horror. I can’t wait to share this.”
Alien: Romulus is the first film in the Alien franchise featuring young adult characters, and it was important to Alvarez that the movie be filmed in a linear fashion. This allowed not only the filmmakers but also the cast to fully experience the unfolding story and character arcs. It allowed the cast to find the natural arc within the character and embark on their journey from the beginning until the end. A feat that is rare yet immensely satisfying to the actors. The audience can feel the natural buildup of emotions from a group of young people all fighting for a better life for themselves while the company fails to live up to its promises and disregards them. Despite being dejected and rejected, you watch their bond grow as these kids must create their own opportunities for a better life. The movie is an emotional rollercoaster and quite existential in many ways in its universal theme of wanting peace and a place to call home.
“Ideally for me and the cast and for everybody to be inspired while you’re making the movie and [want to] best make a better movie is to treat the whole process of filmmaking not like a means to an end where you’re doing something that might not make a lot of sense today, but eventually, once they put the CG in, once they do this or they cut it in the right order will make sense.”
“Ideally, for me, you start on day one with the characters. On day one, they are waking up in this world. You’re in the real world; you look around; the whole place is built for real; and you go with them through that story. It’s almost like you go to some sort of science-fiction war, and my job is to be the war photographer, shooting it and filming it, and then come back to this world and tell you guys, ‘You have no idea what went down up there!’ and show you in the movie the thing we went through, and we really went through that together in a way. When a character died in the movie, it was sad because the actor was going away. Everybody was in tears that day, saying ‘Goodbye’ to that person because you wouldn’t see him for a while. I think it makes for a better experience for everybody involved in the film and the characters. Also, you can see the characters growing in front of you as the story progresses. That actor is going through a journey himself or herself, and they change based on the experience they’re being exposed to in the story. I think that makes for very authentic performances when going through the script and reading and discovering the characters.”
Principal photography on Alien: Romulus began March 9, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. The gorgeous Central European capital has become known for hosting a litany of big-budget Hollywood movies because of its beautiful locales, highly experienced local crews, efficient tax incentives, and quality of life. But what particularly drew filmmakers to the city for this project were the soundstages at Origo Studios, where almost all the sets were built.
With the blessing of Ridley Scott, Alvarez decided to go back to the basics when shooting the film. He wanted to keep it simple and focus on a few characters the audience could get to know and love. This included the use of visual effects techniques that haven’t been used in ages. His approach was to create a true horror movie with limited characters and to use practical effects wherever possible. Alvarez wanted to tip his hat to all the filmmakers who have come before him and pay homage to the Alien franchise in a number of ways.
“The whole idea visually was to make sure it felt like the first two movies, Alien and Aliens, Ridley Scott’s movie, and James Cameron. From a visual standpoint, I want to make sure it feels like it was executed in a different way because it’s done this year. All the modern aspects of filmmaking are there, and the technology that is available today wasn’t available four or five years ago. Therefore, some things can be executed even better, but from a visual standpoint, I just really wanted them to feel like they fit between those movies. You could watch those movies back-to-back, and it felt like it’s the same universe.”
As a result, every set was originally constructed: every corner of the spaceships, the space station, the colony, the hallways, and the docking bay. Alien Romulus leaned into the practical on every level—not just the sets but the creatures, props, set dressing, and costumes. We grounded ourselves in making it real and only used VFX to supplement and help embellish.
Alvarez’s essential rule of going back to basics gives Alien: Romulus a very rich visual aesthetic, a textural antiquated futuristic look, yet one possessed with a familiar darkness. Because Alien: Romulus takes place between “Alien” and Aliens, the filmmakers dove deep into researching the 1980s and every frame of the two movies.
Alvarez explains, “Our approach with Naaman was to look at the movie as a period piece. We were inspired by the first two Alien movies and researched the futurism of that era.” They leaned back to the future of the 1980s.
To effectively create the feelings of claustrophobia, heart-pounding tension, and fear on screen, Alvarez and cinematographer Galo Olivares used specifically designed camera work, including a handheld camera and Steadicam. The set design supports confusion and disorientation by walking the fine line between being vast and elaborate and allowing the director to create an essentially claustrophobic feeling. The goal was to make the sets incredibly detailed and grand to allow Alvarez to shoot from any angle, while at the same time making them scary and tight to support our storyline. “We revived techniques that haven’t been used in decades as we dove into the futurism of the ‘80s. Living in the world has been the most fun I’ve ever had. We are excited to put the audience through the same immersive and hopefully thrilling experience.”
“To convey horror, to scare someone, and to get the best horror you can when the monster is CG and is not there, doesn’t work so well because the actor has to pretend in front of a tennis ball and then that the monster will be out later. It’s not a great experience. It might be easier and faster, but it doesn’t make for better movies.”
Another point Alvarez was adamant remained the same was the Xenomorph’s life cycle. “The life cycle of the creature is something other movies have tried to do differently; they have changed certain aspects of it, and for me, I wanted to keep it simple and pure. At the very beginning of the process, I thought about doing something else, and one of my best friends who’s a fan was like, ‘No, don’t try to improve something that’s perfect; keep it that way.’ The life cycle of the creature is pretty straightforward, but there’s a lot of newer things after that. You’ll be taken care of.”
Alvarez’s concept in Alien: Romulus was to use old-school effects when creating the Xenomorph (or Xeno). According to the Legacy team, four full Xenos were created, requiring the work of 80 artists, including digital artists, concept artists, mold makers, sculptors, painters, and robotics experts. All worked from general design concepts that make all of them functional. It was especially important to Alvarez that the actors have the opportunity to interact with a fully functional animatronic Xenomorph. The surfaces are very rough and sharp, as he wanted it to feel as though a shark’s skin; if you touched it, you would be cut. Everyone at Legacy Effects was very keen on making the Xeno feel like the original Alien movie.
“In our case we really went for everything that could be built was built practically in the film and that meant the actors were in front of real creatures and you can feel in their performances because those things are pretty intimidating. I tell you that when you see them face-to-face, they are something else. Way more authentic performances.”
Audiences will be frightened, compelled, and thoroughly entertained when Alien: Romulus hits theaters on August 19th. To learn more about the film check out the full interview in the video above.
