Alien: Romulus, the Disney-produced sequel that brought the Alien franchise back to theaters for the first time in 7 years, is a global streaming hit on HBO Max. According to FlixPatrol, Alien: Romulus is the fifth-biggest movie on HBO Max worldwide,
Though set between Alien and Aliens in the series’ timeline, Alien: Romulus offers an easy entry into the Alien franchise, since it isn’t a direct continuation of Ellen Ripley’s story, nor does it touch on David’s story from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Rather, Alien: Romulus introduces a new group of characters. The group, who are younger than most Alien movie protagonists, end up a family Alien movie predicament as they become trapped on a space station with a Xenomorph.
Did Alien: Romulus Save the Alien Franchise?
Fede Álvarez directed Alien: Romulus, bringing fresh blood to a series that some felt had gone stale. By featuring younger characters, Álvarez brought a new perspective on the hyper-capitalist, dystopian future of the Alien universe, unlocking new themes not yet explored by the franchise.
That’s not to say the film is entirely detached from Alien history. Alien: Romulus does touch on some events from Alien, but not to the point that it becomes a direct sequel.
Alien: Romulus is the first Alien movie released after Disney gained the rights to the series in its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. It was a box office success, with $350.9 million earned at the global box office, and on a production budget of $80 million.
Alien: Romulus was also a critical hit. The film earned a “certified fresh” Rotten Tomatoes score of 80% positive, and an even stronger 88% positive rating from the website’s users on its Popcornmeter.
Will There Be an Alien: Romulus Sequel?
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Alien: Romulus was a big enough success that Disney quickly put a sequel into development. Álvarez is likely to let a new director step in for Alien: Romulus 2, but wrote the film’s script himself. There was a specific reason for that which has to do with Alien 3.
“I don’t think I was ever going to [direct Romulus 2]. We always knew right when we finished – this is one of those things where you come in and you do one, and get out. [James] Cameron, [David] Fincher… all those directors I love, they went and did one. Obviously, Ridley [Scott] created it; he has the right to make a bunch of them,” Álvarez told a crowd at HorrorHound Weekend in February 2025.
He continued, “We did want to write it. Honestly, it’s because we love the characters we created, so we want to make sure no one kills them right at the beginning of the next one. They went and killed Hicks and Newt just like that [in Alien 3], hey, let’s not let that happen. We wrote it and made sure they stayed alive, and now we can let someone else make it.”
Álvarez directed Alien: Romulus from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues. The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.
Alien: Romulus is available to stream now on Netflix.
Release Date
August 16, 2024
Runtime
119 Minutes
Director
Fede Alvarez
