‘Alien’: Everything We Know About FX’s Series

Meaghan Darwish May 6, 2024, 5:30 pm

It’s been a few years since FX announced plans to collaborate with Fargo‘s Noah Hawley on an Alien television series, but as we look ahead to the future, the project is closer than ever.

With filming having already begun and several cast members announced, the series is taking shape in a way that gives fans insight into what they might be able to anticipate. Below, we’re breaking down everything we know so far about the series as we await its arrival on FX.

Who Stars in the Alien Series?

The cast of Hawley’s series includes a few Fargo alums with stars Timothy Olyphant and David Rysdahl among the ensemble that also includes Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, and Kit Young.

What Is the Alien Series About?

Inspired by Ridley Scott‘s 1979 sci-fi hit, Alien the series will reportedly be set on Earth rather than in space. While the exact timing of the series is also a mystery, it will supposedly be set sometime before Sigourney Weaver‘s Ripley. In other words, it’s an origin story of sorts for the universe viewers have been spending time with since the late ’70s.

Where Is Alien Filming?

Filming for the series began in July 2023 but eventually halted in August due to the strikes. Filming picked back up in April 2024, as the production moved forward in Thailand.

'Alien' Star David Rysdahl Teases 'People Will Be Happy' With Prequel Series

What Has the Cast Said About Alien?

TV Insider caught up with Rysdahl while Fargo Year 5 was airing and the star noted, “Noah is doing a similar thing with what he did with Fargo… Taking the DNA of something — and what is Fargo dealing with and what is Alien dealing with at a primal level — through Noah’s lens, and then building it off of that.” According to the star, “people will be happy about it.”

Why the Alien Series Won’t Feature Ripley

When it comes to the main protagonist of the original films, Hawley claimed he’ll be steering clear of Sigourney Weaver’s character Ripley in the show because “she’s one of the great characters of all time,” the showrunner told Vanity Fair in 2021. “And I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don’t want to mess with it.”