In a somewhat shocking turn, director Fede Alvarez, who helmed the critically acclaimed Alien: Romulus, has just confirmed that he will return to direct its sequel.
Despite the strong box office, critic and fan reception to the first film, Álvarez has revealed that he'll be staying on as a producer and co-writer (alongside Rodo Sayagues), but that's it.
Speaking to TooFab, Alvarez explained that he wants to direct an original concept next and that it's something of a tradition in the Alien franchise for new, young directors to come in and bring a fresh vision.
"We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for Romulus. But I'm gonna pass the torch on this one as director," the Evil Dead (2013) helmer stated. "I'm going to produce it, with Ridley Scott, we're gonna produce it together, and we're right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in."
"I think that's usually what has happened, except for Ridley, filmmakers come, you make one, and you pass the baton to the next one. But we wrote the story because we really love what we started with Romulus, and we want to continue the story. We love the story, and now we just want to find a director who really wants to go for the jugular."
Original Alien (1979) director Ridley Scott is also returning as one of the sequel's producers, and with Álvarez handling the script, the sequel should retain creative continuity, even with a new director.
Alien: Romulus was originally set to be a streaming-only release for Hulu before Disney decided to switch to a theatrical release midway through filming. Produced for $80 million, the movie went on to gross $350.9 million worldwide and earned an 80% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu.
Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.
“Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.