Another of the mythical sagas of the late seventies returns once again. After the divisive ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien: Coventant’, the director of ‘Don’t Breathe’ takes over and presents ‘Alien: Romulus’. Fede Álvarez’s film has just shown its first teaser trailer, which takes us back to the oppressive atmosphere of Ridley Scott’s classic. The film does not yet have an official synopsis, but the filmmaker has revealed some details about the characters, the plot or the context of the story. What is clear is that the xenomorphs will be back to terrorize humans.
The story takes place 20 years after ‘Alien: The Eighth Passenger’
In ‘Alien: The Eighth Passenger’, Lieutenant Ripley and the rest of the crew travel in the spaceship Nostromo, which is heading to planet Earth. Suddenly, they detect a warning sign and decide to investigate it. That is the starting point of a nightmare of horrible consequences. A larva sneaks into the body of one of the crew and the xenomorph takes the ship. Within that chaos, the lieutenant is able to survive, but her fate has already been sealed. ‘Alien: Romulus’ takes place between the first film and ‘Aliens: The Return’:
“It takes place 20 years after the first one,” explains director Fede Álvarez in an interview with Variety. “For me it doesn’t break with the canon. Guarantee that it follows the line and that it is part of the great story of the ‘Alien’ saga —not only the plot, but also how it is done—is something that gives me personal pleasure.” The director has spoken with Ridley Scott and James Cameron, with whom he has reflected on the script.
Where does the title of the movie come from?
It is obvious that ‘Alien: Romulus’ is a direct reference to a mythological character. According to the legend of the founding of Rome, the god Mars and the vestal Rhea Silvia conceived two twins. Fearful that the king would murder them, she put them in a basket and placed it in the Tiber River. The babies were nursed by a wolf and rescued by a shepherd. When they grew up, they founded the city of Rome, Romulus killed his brother Remus and became the first king of the new nation. In statements to Total Film, Álvarez remembers that the ‘Alien’ saga is full of references to ancient Rome in its aesthetic iconography and names. In fact, the theme of brotherhood is explored in the films.
In this production, the Renaissance space station is built on two interconnected modules: one of them is called Romulus and the other Remus. “I can talk up to this point,” says the director. Apparently, a series of experiments are being carried out inside the station.
Who is Raines, the protagonist of ‘Alien: Romulus’
The character played by Cailee Spaeny is called Raines, although her colleagues call her Rain. In the trailer she appears with a rifle in her hand, an homage to the scene where Ripley leaves the elevator to confront the Alien Queen. Pulse rifles weren’t invented until shortly before the time of ‘Aliens: The Return’, so the weapon he carries is something of a prototype. “If you get out of an elevator you better be an incredible shooter,” argues Álvarez.
As for Raines, The parallels with Ripley are palpable, but like the rest of the film’s protagonists, he is very young. “This is based on the principle of the Aliens extended edition. One of the shots inspires the entire story, when you see some kids running down a hallway in Hadley’s Hope. I always thought, ‘Wow, what would it be like if these kids grew up in a terraforming colony that still needs 50 years to be habitable.’ You probably have the same job as your parents, what’s the hope?’”
According to the filmmaker, The idea is to delve into the evolution of these people when they reach 20review their expectations and check what they want for their future.
Fede Alvarez has chosen to use practical special effects instead of relying solely on CGI. Therefore, they made the decision to build the sets, instead of following the usual path of today’s cinema: building the minimum and working with digital effects. “I was at that station where you saw the trailer. I have spent a good part of the last year in that place.” According to the director, you can even get lost in those sets
‘Alien: Romulus’ premieres only in theaters on next August 16.
