Prometheus Star Guy Pearce Addresses Return for FX's New Alien Series

In Prometheus, acclaimed actor Guy Pearce took on the role of Peter Weyland. Decrepit and hoping to extend his lifespan, he snuck on board the Prometheus, but ultimately suffered a fatal sound at the hands of the Engineers. With a production start date coming soon, it's tempting to wonder whether Pearce might be tapped to reprise the role of Peter Weyland (or at least a hologram of him) in the forthcoming Alien TV series from Legion showrunner Noah Hawley. Originally developed under Ridley Scott, the project was briefly thought dead when he announced he was moving on from it. Instead, a new generation of talent will apparently tackle a previously-unexplored portion of the Alien universe's history.

Well, luckily enough, Pearce has a new thriller out for Paramount. And while speaking with ComicBook.com's Chris Killian on behalf of The Infernal Machine, he addressed the possibility.

"Well, I think if anything, it would be a hologram," Pearce said. "I've not been asked about that, and I am looking more and more like the version of Peter Weyland who we saw in Prometheus, so there's less prosthetic work to be done than the five hours we had to do back in 2011. It's been ten years now."

FX chief John Landgraf said during his presentation to the Television Critics Association in August that the upcoming TV series set in the world of the Alien film franchise will start filming soon. The series marks the first time the Alien franchise heads to Earth, and the first TV adaptation for the long-running property, which has thus far spanned six movies (including two crossovers with Predator) as well as numerous video games, novels, and comics since its debut in 1979. The as-yet-untitled TV series will reportedly try to thread the needle between the horror of the Ridley Scott original and the high-octane action of James Cameron's 1986 sequel Aliens.

The series will take place before Ripley comes on the scene, and will reportedly not include any existing characters from the film franchise. No word yet on exact plot details or casting information.

"On some level it's also a story about inequality," showrunner Noah Hawley previously said. "You know, one of the things that I love about the first movie is how '70s a movie it is, and how it's really this blue collar space-trucker world. The second movie is such an '80s movie, but it's still about grunts. Paul Reiser is middle management at best. So, it is the story of the people you send to do the dirty work."

The Alien series will follow the release of Prey and Hellraiser as an attempt at revitalizing a flagging horror franchise in recent months. Prey, a Hulu-based prequel to Alien's former Fox stablemate The Predator, drew enthusiastic reviews for its depiction of a group of indigenous Americans squaring off with an alien hundreds of years in the past. The projects have also provided an early look into how Disney will deal with Fox's portfolion of IP, not all of which is as family-friendly as the Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel projects that dominate much of the Disney+ streaming platform.

Ridley Scott will produce the Alien series through his Scott Free banner. The show is shooting for a 2023 premiere.