Released in 2024, Alien: Romulus was widely considered a return to form for the sci-fi/horror franchise after Sir Ridley Scott's disappointing prequels. Filmmaker Fede Álvarez was supposed to return for the sequel, but exited the project last year.
There's been some speculation about creative differences, with Scott potentially causing problems in his role as the franchise's guiding hand. Evil Dead Burn helmer Sebastien Vanicek was later said to be in the running to helm the next Alien movie, but those talks didn't pan out.
According to World of Reel (via SFFGazette.com), the Alien: Romulus sequel has been "indefinitely shelved and might not ever happen." The site claims that Scott's "hands-on involvement has become too much," with Álvarez's intention to bring Michael Fassbender back as David a major sticking point for the Gladiator director.
Scott allegedly didn't want to hand a character he created over to another filmmaker, despite Fassbender being on board to reprise the role after reading the script.
That's not the Alien: Romulus sequel's only problem, of course. Its two leads, Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, have moved on to the MCU, with the former expected to play X-Men's Rogue and the latter officially leading Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 3 as the new T'Challa.
Still, Brian Duffield is working on a new Alien movie, which this report states will "somewhat distance itself" from Alien: Romulus. It's worth noting that the Whalefall helmer shared a post from 20th Century Studios President Steve Asbell on X, implying that his take is a sequel to Romulus, and that nothing has been scrapped. It seems we'll have to wait and see how this story develops.
It's too soon to say whether the Alien: Romulus sequel can capture the same level of success as its predecessor without Álvarez behind the camera. The movie has an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $350.9 million at the box office, a big win after Scott's underwhelming prequels.
For what it's worth, Álvarez has said, "I don't think I was ever going to [direct a sequel]. We always knew right when we finished – this is one of those things where you come in, and you do one, and get out. Cameron, Fincher. all those directors I love, they went and did one. Obviously, Ridley created it, he has the right to make a bunch of them."
"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. Hey, let’s not let that happen," he continued. "We wrote it and made sure they stayed alive, and now we can let someone else make it."
Stay tuned for Alien updates as we have them.