before the original Alien movie, the new TV series is being developed by FX by showrunner Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), and is set to offer audiences a more in-depth look at the world-building behind the iconic sci-fi horror franchise than ever. The Alien franchise began in 1979 with the original film directed by Ridley Scott, who serves as a producer on the new series. The show stars Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, and more.
FX has released its first full-length trailer for Alien: Earth, and it's centered around a ship crash landing in a city and the characters sent to investigate it. While the series is set to explore characters on Earth, including the sinister Weyland-Yutani corporation, it wouldn't be the Alien franchise without aliens. It's revealed that the ship in question returned to Earth after collecting "five different lifeforms from the darkest corners of the universe." The trailer then offers a glimpse at the five, providing us with some material to examine. Watch the trailer below:
6 Xenomorph
It Wouldn't Be Alien Without Them
It wouldn't be Alien without the Xenomorph, and the new trailer offers a glimpse at not only the iconic monster but also its eggs, which audiences will recognize from previous iterations. While the Xenomorph is usually the rogue villain in franchise installments like Alien: Romulus, in a longer-form narrative, it makes sense that the FX series would wear the original creature on its sleeve. The Xenomorph is featured heavily in the new trailer, offering several glimpses at what Noah Hawley's version will look like.
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There's not much that can be said about the Xenomorph that hasn't already been written, but it will be fascinating to see Noah Hawley's take. Alien fans are divided on Ridley Scott's prequel films, like Prometheus, and Hawley revealed that he had elected to ignore the prequel lore (via Variety) out of a desire to embrace the story established in the original movies. With that in mind, Xenomorph lore is somewhat up for grabs, and his version could have details and life-cycle variations unique to Alien: Earth.
5 Facehugger
With A New Color Palette
The Facehugger is the second stage of the Xenomorph life cycle, which has made it a terrifying antagonist in practically every Alien movie. The goal of Facehugger is to implant Chestburster, so the implication of the Xenomorph egg, the Facehugger, and the Xenomorph implies that Alien: Earth will see Noah Hawley offering his take on the always-disturbing Chestburster concept. Facehuggers are horrifying and gruesome on their own, though, and though one only appears in a brief snippet of the new trailer, long-time fans can anticipate what's going to happen.
In April, FX released a teaser for Alien: Earth titled "Gestation," demonstrating the lifecycle of the Xenomorph in profound detail. The sound effects and animation that went into the video. We knew all the iconic forms would be present in the show, but the new trailer's glimpse at the facehugger showed a surprising new design. Facehuggers have typically had a beige/yellow color palette, while this new version has a more red/pink look. This could indicate fresh features for the iconic monster, or just a new aesthetic approach.
Facehuggers have typically had a beige/yellow color palette, while this new version has a more red/pink look.
4 Scorpion
A Scorpion Xenomorph Tease?
Early in the Alien: Earth trailer, there's a brief shot of a character leaning over and taking a look at a scorpion. By all means, this could just be a regular scorpion, but it could also be setting up something more. In broader non-canonical Alien lore, with additions made by comics and toy merchandise, exists the Scorpion Alien. This form of Xenomorph is red and has a poison stinger at the end of its tail that can paralyze its victims. Thus, the addition of the scorpion in the trailer has got audiences theorizing.
3 Jellyfish (T. Ocellus)
The Alien Franchise's New Nightmare
The new jellyfish creature is the one that audiences get the most prolonged look at, with both a clear glimpse of the being and a shot of a computer screen detailing a scientific study being conducted on it. The words are rather blurry, but some sentences can be made out. The screen reads: "The tentacles carry extraordinary strength and are built to climb into and dislodge the eyes of other living organisms. Once replaced in the eye socket, T. Ocellus takes over the ocular pathway to the brain, overriding the neurotransmissions throughout the body."
This jellyfish is actually kind of cute in a Baby Yoda-like way, but it's evidently going to be pure nightmare fuel in the show. The goat shown in the trailer seems to be wearing neural sensors, suggesting that it's being used to test the jellyfish's abilities. Face-huggers are one thing, but T. Ocellus will likely take body horror up a notch as it latches onto the face and then takes control of its victim. It sounds a bit like Starro the Conqueror from DC Comics, but, of course, with the additional Alien flare of being pure nightmare fuel.
2 Synthetics/Hybrids
The Main Character Is A Human-Synthetic Hybrid
They're not human, so we're counting them as a creature. Synthetics have been in the franchise as long as Ridley Scott's Alien, with the plot twist surrounding Sir Ian Holm's Ash, and as recently as Alien: Romulus, with David Jonsson's Andy. At the point in the Alien timeline on which Alien: Earth takes place, synthetics are commonplace, with Timothy Olyphant's Kirsh being the latest addition. Synthetics and cyborgs will populate a significant portion of the Alien: Earth cast.
The new trailer also exhibits a critical feature of its narrative. The lead, Wendy, played by Sydney Chandler, is a human-synthetic hybrid. Rather than being composed entirely of artificial intelligence, she's a human child's consciousness in an adult woman robot's body, which will surely be one of the central character dynamics in the series, with her being forced to mature quickly. Chandler spoke to EW about playing a child in an adult body, saying, "Kids are so present, and they haven't been battered by the world as much as an adult. So they trust their gut and they don't second-guess."
1 Predator (Rumored)
The New Trailer Could Be Teasing A Predator Crossover
Alien and Predator have crossed over in films before, and the recent Predator: Badlands trailer offered a glimpse at some Weyland-Yutani tech, suggesting more connections to come. Because of this, audiences are questioning a line from Alien: Earth, which shows a character describing one of the new aliens as being "predatory." Of course, the Xenomorph and likely some of the other monsters on the show are predators, but the potential tease is too exciting to ignore. Additionally, Alien: Earth's trailer features a familiar clicking noise that resembles the sound of a Yautja from Predator.
One Word In Alien: Earth's Trailer Subtly Teases An Appearance By The Xenomorph's Biggest Franchise Rival
Following Predator: Badlands' major Alien connection, Alien: Earth's latest trailer may have teased the Xenomorph's ultimate franchise rival.
Alien and Predator paired up in the 2004 movie AVP: Alien vs. Predator, which wasn't well-reviewed but performed well at the box office, generating a sequel of its own. This collaboration has also occurred multiple times in comics. Ridley Scott had minimal interest in the Alien vs. Predator movies and wasn't likely to incorporate the crossover into any of his work on the franchise. However, Scott has announced that he's left the Alien franchise behind (via Variety), meaning Alien: Earth might be willing to bend his rules, though he is involved as an executive producer.
Alien: Earth
- Release Date
- August 12, 2025
- Network
- FX, Hulu
Cast
Sydney ChandlerWendy
Alex LawtherHermit
Essie DavisDame Silvia
Adarsh GouravSlightly
