Alien: Romulus Is Set Between Alien and Aliens for a Very Simple Reason

There are sequels, determination are prequels, and past determination are in-between-quels—movies acceptable betwixt the events of different movies. Black Widow is simply a caller illustration of an in-between-quel. Almost each Star Wars happening we’ve seen successful the past 5 years has been an in-between-quel. And present joining that database is Alien: Romulus, which takes spot betwixt the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 movie Aliens.

About 60 years walk betwixt the films arsenic Sigourney Weaver’s character, Ellen Ripley, floats done abstraction successful hypersleep. It’s an epoch that has ne'er been explored earlier successful an Alien film, but Romulus co-writer and manager Fede Alvarez chose this clip play for his movie for a precise simple, precise refreshing reason. “I was trying to warrant wherefore it looks this mode visually,” helium said.

Alvarez precocious sat for a large illustration successful the Los Angeles Times wherever helium revealed that, yes, mounting Romulus betwixt Alien and Aliens was simply a mode to marque his movie look similar those genre-defining classics without messing with immoderate of the content. “I’m besides a large instrumentality of pursuing the canon to the missive and not deviating excessively overmuch from erstwhile creations,” helium added.

So successful crafting Romulus, determination was ne'er immoderate instinct to see characters from the different movies, but the 1 successful the rubric of course. “You ne'er privation a young assemblage to spell spot a movie and furrow their brow thinking, ‘Who is this person? Why is fractional the cinema truthful excited astir this antheral and I don’t cognize who helium is?’” helium said. “It becomes an excess I’m not funny in.”

Reportedly, Romulus does person subtle winks to those archetypal films though, via sets, dialogue, and possibly a spot more. But it sounds similar Alvarez conscionable wanted to marque an Alien movie that felt similar the 2 champion Alien movies, without betraying each the different Alien movies.

Read much from Alvarez astatine the LA Times. Alien Romulus opens August 16.

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.