Don’t let the reports about the cancellation of the next *Alien* movie worry you (for now).
47 years after the theatrical release of the very first Alien, Ridley Scott’s sci-fi franchise is still going strong: Most recently, a new movie, Romulus, was released in 2024, followed by a new TV series, Earth, in 2025. And as things stand, both projects are moving forward—yes, even *Romulus*.
Last weekend, rumors caused a stir,claiming that the sequel to the first film by director Fede Alvarez had been scrapped. These rumors stem from a report by the news portalWorldOfReels, which, however, does not enjoy a particularly good reputation in the media world.
And now it turns out:The report about the cancellation of *Romulus 2* is nonsense.Steve Asbell, president of 20th Century Studios, personally debunked the story. On X(formerly Twitter), he commented on the report with a simple but all the more tellingNope
.
47 years after the theatrical release of the very first Alien, Ridley Scott’s sci-fi franchise is still going strong: Most recently, a new feature film, Romulus, was released in 2024, and a new TV series, Earth, is set to premiere in 2025. And as things stand, both projects are moving forward—yes, even *Romulus*.
Last weekend, rumors caused a stir,claiming that the sequel to the first film by director Fede Alvarez had been scrapped. These rumors stem from a report by the news portalWorldOfReels, which, however, does not enjoy a particularly good reputation in the media world.
And now it turns out:The report about the cancellation of *Romulus 2* is nonsense.Steve Asbell, president of 20th Century Studios, personally debunked the story. On X(formerly Twitter), he commented on the report with a simple but all the more tellingNope
.
The sequel to Alien: Romulus still has some hurdles to overcome
But what’s the current status of *Alien: Romulus 2*?It’s actually a little bit complicated:
- The first film grossed over $350 million worldwide on a budget of $80 million and is therefore considered a solid hit. It also received positive reviews from both the press and audiences.The announcement of a sequel followed as early as October 2024.
- A year later, however, it was revealed that Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) would not personally direct the sequel. Only the screenplay is said to be written by him and his colleague Rodo Sayagues.
- In June 2026, reports followed from well-connected Hollywood insidersDaniel RichtmanandJeff Sneiderhave both reported that Brian Duffield (The Babysitter, Whalefall) has been hired for a new Alien movie. However, it’s not clear whether this is for *Romulus 2* or a completely different project.
- And then there are the rumorsthat Ridley Scott himself is said to have set his sights on the director’s chair for *Romulus 2*. Or at least that he wouldn’t agree to use Alvarez’s original vision, to use Michael Fassbender’s David (viaCBM) . After all, Scott himself still has plans for his character from *Prometheus* and *Alien: Covenant*.
So it’s quite a complicated situation.Compounding the issue is the fact that the two lead actors from *Romulus*, Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, are becoming increasingly in demand in Hollywood:
- Following *Civil War* and *Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man*, there are growing indications thatCailee Spaenyhas a future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Rogue.
- David Jonssonhas since been cast as the new Black Panther for the MCU following *The Long Walk*.
This is likely to present 20th Century Studios with the challenge of finding common ground with Spaeny and Jonsson regarding salaries and availability. Currently, *Alien: Romulus 2* does not yet have an official release date.
Meanwhile, the TV series *Alien: Earth* by Noah Hawley (*Fargo*, *Legion*) is expected to continue sometime in 2027. Filming for the second season began in London in July 2026, so a release next year is certainly realistic.
You can read about what else is happening in the Predator franchise by following the links above.
