After months of relative silence about the future of the Alien franchise, a new report from HN Entertainment claims that two different live-action TV series are being developed.
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The site revealed that their source confirmed one series is being developed for Hulu and has Ridley Scott attached as an executive producer. The other series, reportedly titled “Raised by Wolves,” focuses on androids and is being developed for TNT.
Over the last decade, the Alien series suffered numerous setbacks with its various entries. After two films in which the iconic xenomorphs squared off with the hunters from the Predator series, Scott, who directed the original Alien, delivered audiences Prometheus, which served as a prequel. Despite the film’s many accomplishments, it was marketed as a precursor to Alien, yet focused more on the horrors of artificial intelligence as opposed to the terrifying xenomorph, leading to a poor box office performance.
In 2017, Alien: Covenant was set to be more in line with what fans of the franchise were expecting in the realm of sci-fi terror, with that film delivering a larger xenomorph presence but still emphasizing the horrifying aspects of artificial intelligence. Covenant also failed impress audiences and underperformed at the box office.
Multiple consecutive disappointments were enough to doubt the future of the franchise, only for Disney’s acquisition of a majority of 21st Century Fox’s theatrical assets seemingly solidifying a grim fate for the series.
“It looks to me that the Fox deal is certainly going to go ahead with Disney, and I’ve been with Fox for a number years now,” Scott previously shared with Digital Spy. “I’m hoping I’ll still probably be there so whether or not they go ahead with such a dark subject, being Disney, as aliens remains to be seen.”
These projects might currently be nothing more than rumors, though it could be the smart move for the franchise. Various reports have hinted that, following Disney’s acquisition of Fox assets, Hulu would be the home for more adult-oriented fare. Given the streaming platform’s various dark and disturbing series, this would allow an Alien series to embrace its horrific roots.
Not only would this project thematically make sense, but developing multiple series focusing on different elements of the Alien mythology could help revive interest in the series.
Stay tuned for details on the possible future of the Alien franchise.
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