The new Alien TV series will be bringing more competing companies to the forefront, instead of focusing purely on Weyland-Yutani as has happened in the past.
Alien franchise fans went ballistic when it was announced that the franchise would be continued with a series in December 2020, but news of the TV series has been sparse since then. Recent comments from FX Chairman John Landgraf seem to hint that the series will be returning to the basics, which made the film franchise so great in the first place.
The 1979 film Alien left a lasting impact on entertainment history, birthing an entire franchise based on the xenomorph.
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Back to Basics
The Hollywood Reporter recently shared that Landgraf said that rather than grounding everything in the universe that had already been established by all the creators that came before them, Noah Hawley is aiming to create a brand-new experience that is similar to the wonder that fans can experience from watching the first two Alien films for the first time:
”I’m a big fan of Alien and Aliens, and I remember watching both of them in the theatre and how shockingly original and surprising each of them was in its own way. And so, similar to his approach to Fargo, Noah decided not to take Ripley or any character from Alien – except perhaps the xenomorph itself – but go back and figure out what made the franchise so great and so durable in the first place and see if he could find an experience that felt like walking into a theatre and seeing one of these first two movies, where you get caught off-guard. That’s all I can say at this point, though.”
This comment comes as a stark relief for fans who were becoming increasingly tired of the constant inclusion and adaptation of Weyland-Yutani and Ripley and her lineage.
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Less Weyland-Yutani, More Variety
When asked about the plan to include the Weyland-Yutani corporation in the upcoming series — which has been a staple in the previous films and related franchises including Alien, Prometheus and the Alien vs Predator franchise, the corporation is usually at the forefront of the conflict in movies — Landgraf shared that the Weyland-Yutani corporation would still be seen in the Alien TV series, however, they would have a much more subdued role in the series, leaving room to explore their different competitors.
Landgraf shared, “The Alien cinematic universe is that it’s a world where that’s sort of dominated by large corporate entities, and Weyland-Yutani has been an important component of the movies. There are references to that corporation in this show. But it actually takes place in the territory of a different corporation that Noah Invented.”
His comments echo previous discussions that the creator Hawley has had regarding the show and mention wanting to bring in other companies who are attempting to strive for immortality in different ways to the Weyland-Yutani corporation.
Much like the decision to leave old characters in the past, this comes as quite the relief to fans who were becoming tired of the stale use and reuse of the same corporation for decades.
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