The Disney/Fox merger has often split opinions, but it's done wonders for the Alien and Predator franchises. The latter has flourished on Dan Trachtenberg's watch, while Alien: Romulus was a definite step in the right direction for that long-running sci-fi series.
With Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez at the helm, the franchise was restored to its former glory thanks to a crew of likeable characters and a legitimately terrifying approach to the Xenomorphs.
Unfortunately, it was recently revealed that Álvarez will not return to helm the sequel. He and Rodo Sayagues penned the follow-up's screenplay, though, and in a new interview, the filmmaker addressed his decision to walk away from the movie (and why he still wanted to at least write it).
"I don't think I was ever going to. We always knew right when we finished – this is one of those things where you come in, and you do one, and get out," Álvarez said (via SFFGazette.com). "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."
The Alien franchise has a habit of swiftly killing off characters from previous chapters so the spotlight can shift to a new set of victims for the Xenomorphs (Hicks and Newt, for example, met a swift end at the start of Alien 3).
Based on Álvarez's remarks, we can expect to see much more of Cailee Spaeny as Marie Raines "Rain" Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy.
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 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $350.9 million at the box office, a big win after Scott's underwhelming prequels.
Earlier this month, Álvarez said, "We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for Romulus. But I'm gonna pass the torch on this one as director. 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," he added.
The Alien: Romulus sequel doesn't currently have a confirmed release date.