After years of curiosity, speculation, reports, and rumors, FX has finally cracked open the airlock on Alien: Earth, the upcoming sci-fi series from Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley.
Set to premiere on August 12th with a two-episode launch, the eight-episode season will air on both Hulu and FX in the U.S., with international viewers catching it on Disney+. And now, with the release of new photos, we’ve got a glimpse of what this new entry in the Alien saga is shaping up to be.
Leading the cast is Sydney Chandler as Wendy, though this is no ordinary Ripley-style lead. Wendy is the first hybrid prototype: a humanoid robot infused with human consciousness.
She’s a creation of the Prodigy Corporation, the brainchild of its CEO and Founder, who in the year 2120 has seemingly cracked the code on immortality.
In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans.
But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness).
That already sounds like fertile ground for Hawley’s signature blend of cerebral sci-fi and human drama, but then the Alien franchise’s hallmark chaos comes knocking.
When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, ‘Wendy’ and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat in FX’s Alien: Earth.
In this version of Earth, the future is run not by nations, but corporations, a dystopian twist that aligns well with Alien lore, especially with the ever-looming presence of Weyland-Yutani.
According to previously released details, the series will feature five different monsters, making this easily one of the most creature-heavy entries in the franchise’s history.
Backing Chandler is a stacked ensemble including Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Alex Lawther as Hermit, and Babou Ceesay as Morrow, along with Essie Davis, Adrian Edmondson, David Rysdahl, Lily Newmark, and many more.
FX’s Alien: Earth is executive-produced by Hawley, alongside franchise legend Ridley Scott, as well as David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales, and Clayton Krueger.
It’s still early, but this looks like it could be the kind of ambitious reinvention the Alien franchise has been needing—one that respects its roots but isn’t afraid to mutate them. If the show sticks the landing, Earth might not be the final frontier… but it could be the scariest.
