Filming on Noah Hawley's Alien prequel series appears to have wrapped, and a number of fascinating tidbits have emerged as a result of the cast and crew sharing the news on social media.
Series lead Sydney Chandler, documented her travels to several production sites in a lengthy Instagram post.
Elsewhere, in an interview with Variety, FX chief John Landgraf seemingly revealed the title of the upcoming sci-fi series, which is set to premiere in 2025.
Landgraf was addressing the Emmy nominations for Fargo and Shogun but let some key details on Hawley's show slip, revealing, "Noah is deep in work on Season 1 of 'Alien: Earth' right now. We're in post-production, and we are talking to him and watching cuts every week."
"We're pretty bullish on 'Alien: Earth,' and we've told him that assuming as we hope that 'Alien: Earth' is a returning television series, we want him to focus on at least writing two seasons of it before returning to a possible sixth season of 'Fargo.' So it's going to be a little while, but I'm also intensely proud of that show."
With Landgraf revealing that FX wants Hawley to finish up post-production on Alien: Earth and write another season of the show before returning to work on Fargo, it's a strong indication that the network likes what they've seen so far from the prequel. Don't be surprised if the show is officially renewed for a second season before its premiere.
The full cast for Alien: Earth includes Chandler (Don't Worry Darling), Alex Lawther (Black Mirror, Andor), Samuel Blenkin (The Sandman, Black Mirror), Kit Young (Shadow and Bone), Essie Davis (Matrix Revolutions, Assassin's Creed), and Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger). Timohty Olyphant has also joined the cast as a synth while David Rysdahl's role is being kept under wraps.
Previously, Hawley confirmed with Vanity Fair that the series would be set on Earth and deal with issues of class warfare. "The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a spaceship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of “What happens if you can’t contain it?” are more immediate. "
In addition to the prequel show, a new Alien film from director Fede Alvarez, titled Alien: Romulus, is also in the works at Disney/20th Century Studios, with a theatrical release date of August 16, 2024. The cast includes Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Aileen Wu, and Spike Fearn.
While the television series will be set before the events of the first film, Alvarez's movie will be set between the events of the original Ridley Scott-directed 1979 film and its James Cameron-helmed, 1986 sequel.
Per previous remarks from Hawley, his Alien prequel television series will premiere in "the first half of 2025."