The highly anticipated Alien series — titled Alien: Earth — is set to arrive in 2025. Following the success of 2022’s Prey and this summer’s Alien: Romulus, Disney and 20th Century Studios are expanding both the Alien and Predator universes with new projects for both streaming and cinema.
Unlike Alien: Romulus, which took place in deep space between the first two films, Alien: Earth will bring the Xenomorph threat to our own planet. Created by writer-director Noah Hawley, the series revisits a concept once considered for Alien 3 and touched on in the Alien vs. Predator films. This time, however, the aim is to retain the core spirit of the franchise while exploring fresh themes — including the growing role of artificial intelligence, a subject already explored in Ridley Scott’s prequels.
To get ready for the Alien series, it’s worth revisiting the entire film saga in order. And if you’re craving more Xenomorph action, the top Alien games and comics are well worth exploring too.
Alien: Earth is officially set to debut on August 12 at 8 PM ET on both Hulu and FX in the United States. For international viewers with access to Disney+, the premiere will roll out at 8 PM PT, which means an August 13 launch in regions like the UK and Europe. The premiere will include the first two episodes, followed by a new episode every week—one per Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on your region—culminating in an eight-episode season.
The show is being helmed by Noah Hawley, known for his work on Legion and Fargo. He serves as creator, showrunner, writer, and director, making this a deeply personal vision. Hawley confirmed that filming wrapped up on July 17, 2024, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Currently, Alien: Earth is in the thick of post-production, with a heavy focus on editing and special effects. Hawley acknowledged the lengthy visual effects process, stating, “I’m deep into editing, and there’s a substantial VFX workload ahead—but I’m thrilled with the material we captured. For those who’ve been waiting for a proper television entry into the Alien universe, I think we’ve got something truly special on the way.”
With its grounded setting on Earth, gripping atmosphere, and the promise of both horror and thought-provoking sci-fi, Alien: Earth is shaping up to be one of 2025’s most anticipated genre series.
The Story Behind Alien: Earth: What the New Series Is About.
Along with the familiar alien creatures, Alien: Earth will dive deeper into the franchise’s exploration of artificial intelligence—particularly the role of synthetic beings and the growing tension between what is artificial and what is human.
Set on Earth and in a not-so-distant future, the series faces the unique challenge of making the presence of Xenomorphs feel believable without disrupting the timeline established in earlier films (with the Alien vs. Predator entries often left out of the official canon). Still, creator Noah Hawley has said his goal is to expand the usual boundaries of the Alien narrative. “I was interested in widening the scope a bit,” he explained, “so the threat of what happens when things get out of control feels much more urgent and real.”
Hawley is also shifting the story closer to our current world, bringing renewed focus to the clash between everyday workers and powerful corporations—a recurring theme in the Alien universe. While this dynamic has always been present, it hasn’t always taken center stage. The longer TV format now offers the opportunity for a more layered and nuanced look at corporate exploitation, social inequality, and survival under systems of control.
So far, Alien: Earth doesn’t appear to tie into the newly released Alien: Romulus, making it a standalone story within the wider universe.
At the moment, there’s every indication that Alien: Earth is planned as an ongoing series rather than a one-off event. FX chairman John Landgraf has expressed strong confidence in the project, stating they’re “quite optimistic” about its future. According to Landgraf, the goal is for Noah Hawley to develop at least two seasons before possibly returning to work on a sixth season of Fargo.
⚠️ Mild spoilers ahead
The official synopsis gives a glimpse of what’s to come: “After the deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crashes back on Earth, Wendy (played by Sydney Chandler) and a mismatched team of combat-ready operatives uncover a chilling truth that brings them face-to-face with a terrifying planetary threat.”
Set in the year 2120, the story takes place just two years before the events of the original Alien and roughly 16 years after Alien: Covenant. In this version of the near future, Earth is under the control of five powerful corporations—Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. While cyborgs and synthetics are already part of daily life, Prodigy has gone a step further, developing hybrid beings: synthetic bodies merged with human consciousness. With the arrival of alien threats, it becomes clear that these experiments—and the forces behind them—may pose just as much danger as the Xenomorphs themselves.
Alien: Earth trailers.
Most of the promotional push for Alien: Earth so far has relied on brief, cryptic teasers—short viral-style clips and unsettling glimpses of scenes from the show. A teaser trailer released on January 27, 2025, offered our first real look at the series, teasing the Xenomorph’s dramatic entrance onto Earth.
Unusually, the trailer unfolds from the alien’s perspective, creating a dizzying, chaotic effect that feels almost like being trapped inside a spinning machine. It’s a disorienting but visually striking way to introduce the tone of the series—and a promising taste of what’s to come. Watch it here:
Alien: Earth Cast.
After a slow rollout of casting announcements, we now have a solid picture of who’s starring in Alien: Earth, along with the characters they’ll be playing. The ensemble blends familiar faces from sci-fi and drama with some rising stars:
Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling) as Wendy
Alex Lawther (Star Wars: Andor) as Hermit
Essie Davis (The Babadook) as Dame Sylvia
Timothy Olyphant (The Mandalorian) as Kirsh
Samuel Blenkin (Black Mirror) as Boy Kavalier
Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) as Tootles
Adarsh Gourav (Guns & Gulaabs) as Slightly
Erana James (The Wilds) as Curly
David Rysdahl (No Exit) as Arthur Sylvia
Babou Ceesay (Free Fire) as Morrow
Adrian Edmondson as Atom Eins
Lily Newmark (3 Body Problem) as Nibs
Jonathan Ajayi (Vigil) as Smee
Diêm Camille (The Wheel of Time) as Siberian
Moe Bar-El (Dune: Part Two) as Rashidi
Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Foundation) as Yutani
With such a diverse and intriguing cast, Alien: Earth looks ready to deliver both emotional depth and high-stakes sci-fi drama.
Meet the Directors, Writers, and Crew Behind Alien: Earth.
Noah Hawley leads the creative team behind Alien: Earth, taking on multiple roles including series creator, lead writer, director, and showrunner. It hasn’t been confirmed whether he directed every episode, but he played a central part in shaping the entire season. He’s also joined by Ridley Scott as an executive producer.
Hawley wrote all eight episodes of the first season, supported by a writers’ team that includes Bob DeLaurentis, Bobak Esfarjani, Lisa Long, Maria Melnik, and Migizi Pensoneau.
The visual look of the series is crafted by cinematographers Dana and Bella Gonzales—longtime collaborators with Hawley—as well as Colin Watkinson, who worked on several episodes. Production design is led by Andy Nicholson, whose past work includes major science fiction and action films.
Read more,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien:_Earth