Warning! Spoilers ahead for the ending of Alien: Romulus.
Summary
Alien: Romulusdirector Fede Alvarez teases his story ideas for a sequel and when a follow-up movie could arrive. After Ridley Scott’s divisiveAlien: Covenantin 2017, Alvarez’s new installment in the long-runningAlienfranchise goes back to the franchise’s roots. Following Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and her young companions as they face off against a deadly Xenomorph threat aboard a derelict space station,Alien: Romulusendswith Rain and Andy (David Jonsson) as the only survivors, with the pair heading for a faraway planet called Yvaga. So far, however, no sequel has been confirmed.
During a recent interview withTHR, Alvarez is asked about whether he has any ideas for anAlien: Romulussequel. The director teases thata sequel could pick up the story of Rain and Andy’s journey to Yvaga and the disappointment they find when they get there, but he also hints that a follow-up may not be coming in the near future. Check out Alvarez’s comment below:
For me, it’s always been about story. So, once we finished, we started thinking, “What do you think happens when or if they get to your Yvaga? Is it going to be great? Or is it a terrible place?” We tend to believe it’s probably a terrible place thattheythink is great and fantasize about, so we naturally started thinking about where it goes and what’s going to happen. And then, a few minutes in, we go, “Oh, that sounds like a sequel.”
But we really attempt to think about it more in terms of story and if it needs another chapter and whether people want to know what happens next. So we’ll wait to see what people think and if people ask for it. My philosophy is that you should never make [a sequel] in two years. You’ve got to get away. You’ve got to get the audience to really want it. If you think aboutAlienandAliens, there’s seven years between them. But we definitely have ideas about where it should go.
Alien: Romulustakes place in 2142, meaning there’s still plenty of room in the timeline for another Alvarez film before the events of James Cameron’sAliensin 2179.
Where Ripley Is During Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus focuses on a new group of characters, leaving questions about where Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is during the movie.
Will Alien: Romulus Get A Sequel?
Why Things Are Already Looking Good For Fede Alvarez’s Follow-Up Movie
Alien: Romulusreviewshave thus far been positive from both critics and audiences, which bodes well for a sequel. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film enjoys a respectable 81% critics and a strong 86% audience score.Alien: Romulushas been widely praised for its back-to-basics storytelling approach, strong performances, impressive visuals, and its wild ending, all of which make Alvarez a great choice to continue the franchise.
81%
86%
64/100
8.3/10
B+
While reviews have been generally positive,Alien: Romulus' box officeperformance will be the key indicator regarding whether another film happens.The film has gotten off to a relatively strong start at the box office, grossing $108 million worldwide in its opening weekend. This global total comprises $41.5 million domestic, the second-highest opening weekend gross in North America for the franchise behindPrometheus, and $66.7 million from overseas.Alien: Romulushas gotten off to a particularly strong start in China, too, a country where many recent Hollywood movies have struggled.
It will be key thatAlien: Romulusremains popular in theaters over the next few weeks and months, but it’s certainly looking promising that Alvarez will get to continue the story of Rain and Andy. The director’s comments, however, suggest that a sequel may not be his next project, and that he wouldn’t even begin work on a follow-up until 2026. Audiences, then, may be able to look forward to anAlien: Romulussequel in 2027 or 2028 if all goes according to plan.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
