Alien: Romulus Director Has Sequel Update (But It Might Be Far Away)

Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez shares an update on a possible sequel to the movie, indicating that audiences may have to wait a while before seeing a follow-up. The filmmaker said that while he and 20th Century Studios are interested in going back to the Alien franchise, that won’t happen until he has cracked the right story he wants to tell. He’s currently ironing out possible ideas with his co-writer, Rodo Sayagues.

“[It’s] not until we find something that we go ‘Ok, that is a movie worth making’ that we really embark on it,” Álvarez said in an interview with io9. “So that’s the process we are in right now, trying to find a story that is worthy of everyone’s time and is worthy of the title. Otherwise, you never want to fall into the mistake of making [a sequel] just because the first one is a big hit.”

Alien: Romulus premiered in theaters back in August, earning $350.8 million worldwide against an $80 million production budget. Unadjusted for inflation, it’s the second-highest grossing entry in the franchise, trailing only 2012’s Prometheus ($402.4 million). Romulus also earned the best reviews for an Alien movie since James Cameron’s Aliens, posting an 80% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. While Romulus received pushback for controversially using CGI to resurrect the late Ian Holm and featuring a bevy of callbacks to previous Alien installments, many felt it was a return to form for the property.

[Related: Every Alien Franchise Movie Ranked by Scariness (Including Romulus)]

Buoyed by that success, 20th Century Studios announced an Alien: Romulus sequel back in October, with Álvarez set to return as director. All has been mostly quiet on that front since, but Romulus has enjoyed some time in the spotlight recently, as it’s now available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. The film’s arrival on those platforms was commemorated with a prequel comic detailing the horrific events that took place at Renaissance Station.

It’s encouraging that Álvarez seemingly isn’t under the gun when it comes to developing a sequel. Considering how big a hit Romulus was, the studio could have easily tried to force the filmmaker to meet a pre-determined release date in an effort to strike when the iron is hot. Based on Álvarez’s comments, it sounds like there might even be a scenario where the Romulus sequel doesn’t materialize if the creative team can’t nail the ideal angle to explore. Since all parties involved are keen on making a follow-up, the odds of that playing out are likely low, but it’s a good thing that a sequel won’t happen just for the sake of it.

Since Álvarez and Sayagues aren’t being rushed, they should have ample time to craft a compelling narrative that delivers another entertaining blend of sci-fi and horror. And if they take longer than anticipated, 20th Century Studios has other avenues they can pursue for more Alien. The ever-busy Ridley Scott has teased he’s developing a new Alien movie, which could be one of many different things. Given how lucrative the property is, the studio won’t let the franchise sit on the shelf for too long, so it’s only a matter of time before the xenomorph terrorizes audiences again.