Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
Director Fede Álvarez is stepping away from the ‘Alien: Romulus’ sequel.
But he will produce the movie with franchise overseer Ridley Scott.
The hunt is on for a new director.
The ‘Alien’ franchise is enjoying a real resurgence of late –– ‘Alien: Earth’ is getting good reviews and solid viewing figures on Hulu, while last year’s ‘Alien: Romulus’ did more than $350 million at the worldwide box office.
You might think, then, that ‘Romulus’ co-writer/director Fede Álvarez would be eager to jump back in for the sequel to that movie. Yet despite previously indicating so, and talking up kicking off pre-production, he’s now stepping away, moving to simply produce the next outing.
“We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for ‘Romulus’. But I’m gonna pass the torch on this one as director. I’m going to produce it, with Ridley Scott, we’re gonna produce it together and we’re right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in. I think that’s usually what has happened, except for Ridley, filmmakers come, you make one and you pass the baton to the next one. But we wrote the story because we really love what we started with ‘Romulus’ and we want to continue the story. We love the story and now we just want to find a director that really wants to go for the jugular.”
‘Romulus’ was the story of a group of young space colonists who are looking for a way off the mining colony moon they call home.
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, they come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
As for the sequel’s story, those details are being kept inside a Facehugger’s egg for now. But talking to The Hollywood Reporter in October last year, 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell had this to say:
“We know there’s going to be aliens. We know there’s going to be great horror set pieces. But I fell in love with both of them [Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues, who have crafted the story for the next movie] and I want to see what their story is.”
What else is Fede Álvarez working on?
(Right) Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Álvarez is one of those filmmakers who always has something in development. Right now, he has the likes of video game adaptation ‘Dante’s Inferno’ bubbling away alongside ‘Incognito’, about a super-villain in the witness protection programme.
He admitted to TooFab that he had something in mind to make next, but is keeping specifics close to his chest:
“I want to work on a personal project that me and my co-writer, we’ve been keeping on the back burner for a while and we feel it’s the right time to go and work on an original. But I can’t tell you anything about it.”
Spoilsport!
When will the ‘Alien: Romulus’ sequel be on screens?
Since it’s now in a holding pattern awaiting a new director, don’t expect to learn a release date for the currently untitled sequel until a team is in place.
‘Prey’ director Dan Trachtenberg has shot both follow-up ‘Badlands’ and a new secret movie.
The other movie is likely to arrive via streaming.
20th Century boss Steve Asbell offered other updates in a new interview.
Ever since ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ director Dan Trachtenberg brought the ‘Predator’ franchise roaring back to life with 2022’s ‘Prey’ (a prequel to the franchise entries that landed on Hulu to huge viewing figures), we’ve been waiting for more news about his follow-up.
Then, back in June this year, word arrived that Elle Fanning was in talks for the next movie to come from Trachtenberg, ‘Predator: Badlands.’ It’s a stand-alone that features no connective tissue to ‘Prey’ other than the appearance of at least one of the movies’ trademark toothy hunters.
According to Asbell, there will indeed be two ‘Predator’ movies headed our way next year.
One is ‘Badlands,’ which wrapped recently in New Zealand and, yes, features Fanning. The other? That’s more of a mystery for now.
This is what Asbell said:
“After ‘Prey’ became a success, Dan came back and said he didn’t want to do ‘Prey 2.’ And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool. We’ve actually done two of them.”
He had no other real details on the second film, other than to say Trachtenberg directed it before heading out to make ‘Badlands’ and that it probably won’t be released theatrically, which is the destination for ‘Badlands.’
Little has been released about the plot for ‘Badlands,’ and indeed Asbell offers not much by way of detail, other than to say:
“It is an absolutely bonkers idea. It is a sci-fi thing, but it’s not what everybody thinks it is. And I mean, it’s awesome. It is so nuts. But in Dan, we trust.”
One of the other big 20th Century sci-fi franchises, ‘Alien,’ also saw love this year.
‘Alien: Romulus,’ directed by Fede Alvarez, was a success at the box office, and a sequel is in the works.
This is what Asbell had to say about the future of the franchise:
“We’re working on a sequel idea now. We haven’t quite closed our deal with Fede, but we are going to, and he has an idea that we’re working on. The two survivors, Rain and Andy, played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, were real highlights of the film. And so I always think of it like, ‘Wow, where do people want to see them go next?’ We know there’s going to be aliens. We know there’s going to be great horror set pieces. But I fell in love with both of them and I want to see what their story is.”
That would also make people think about the times that the ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ franchises have crossed over –– but according to Asbell, while he and his team are thinking about it, don’t expect them to rush into the idea:
“It wouldn’t be in the way you think. That’s the thing. Not in the way that it will just be called ‘Alien vs. Predator’ or anything like the original movies. If we do this, they’ll be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with, and those characters will combine… perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point.”
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is the biggest R-rated movie worldwide.
It has overtaken ‘Joker’ at the box office.
‘Alien: Romulus’ also had a great start globally.
Disney will keep the champagne corks popping this weekend, as a one-two punch of successful movies has given it more reason to celebrate what is turning into a very good year for the company.
To start, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ has entered the record books as the most successful R-rated movie ever, dashing past ‘Joker’ on Friday to take the crown with $1.086 billion at the worldwide box office.
And though it was finally dethroned by ‘Alien: Romulus’ from the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend, Disney will still be happy, as the latest xenomorph outing is also one of theirs since it arrives via 20th Century Studios. In some ways, it’s a victory for properties the company gained by buying Fox, since the new ‘Deadpool’ is an homage to –– and features plenty of –– characters from the Fox/Marvel years.
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What are the latest milestones that ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and Disney has passed?
Following this weekend’s earnings, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is now at $1.142 billion worldwide.
Among its achievements, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ had the highest-grossing global opening for an R-rated film ever, surpassing 2016’s ‘Deadpool’. It is the 31st film from The Walt Disney Studios (including three Fox films pre-acquisition) and the 11th title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including two for Sony) to have surpassed $1 billion at the global box office.
With ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ Disney has the top two movies of the year and back-to-back $1 billion earners, becoming the only studio ever to release back-to-back $1 billion films in a given year.
‘Alien: Romulus’, directed by ‘Don’t Breathe’s Fede Álvarez, scored a healthy $41.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend, which saw it nab the top spot.
Globally, the new ‘Alien’ franchise entry has scored $108.2 million and represents the second-best start for the xenomorph-centric horror stories (not accounting for inflation).
It’s all the more encouraging given that ‘Romulus’ was originally destined to go straight to Hulu, much as with ‘Predator’ prequel ‘Prey’ but was shifted to theatrical as filming began. The decision has clearly paid off.
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What about the rest of this weekend’s box office?
Blake Lively attends the “It Ends With Us” UK Gala Screening at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 08, 2024 in London, England. Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures.
‘It Ends With Us’ –– adapted from the Coleen Hoover novel –– continued to do well, landing third in its second weekend. It made $24 million, declining just 52% from its huge $50 million debut.
The movie, which stars Blake Lively, has overcome potentially controversial talk of behind-the-scenes drama and remains a strong performer, earning $180 million worldwide on a $25 million budget.
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‘Twisters’ dropped to fourth place, but the disaster movie is also holding well, taking $9.8 million domestically in its fifth weekend.
And even more impressive was ‘Coraline’, with the 15th-anniversary re-release of Laika’s beloved stop-motion animation fantasy film rounding out the top five with $8.9 million domestically. It has grossed roughly $11.3 million in the U.S. since returning to theaters on Thursday.
That result is impressive given that, on its original release, it took in $16.8 million for the first weekend.
The ‘Alien’ franchise has gotten especially convoluted in the 21st century, with spinoffs (‘Alien vs. Predator’), origin stories (‘Prometheus’) and sequels to prequels (‘Alien: Covenant’) clogging up the trajectory of what started out as something simple and elegant: a haunted house movie set in space. ‘Alien: Romulus,’ directed by Fede Álvarez, works hard to bring the brand back to the basics. And in many ways, Álvarez succeeds: working off a script he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues, Álvarez has created a mostly tense, atmospheric, and to-the-point monster movie that – much like the first ‘Alien’ – has a terrific central character at its core.
But Álvarez also makes the mistake of leaning too heavily on nostalgia, with ‘Alien: Romulus’ – particularly in its second half – playing like the franchise equivalent of a greatest hits package and showing a decided lack of imagination in its callbacks to not just the first ‘Alien,’ but ‘Aliens,’ ‘Alien: Resurrection,’ and even the controversial ‘Prometheus.’ And one creative choice in particular is not only incredibly distracting and jarring, but bordering on unethical – and also a spoiler.
Story and Direction
Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
‘Alien: Romulus,’ we find out fairly early on, is set around 20 years after the events of the first ‘Alien.’ It opens on a mining colony on a brutal, storm-tossed world where it’s hard enough for humans to survive, let alone work. Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) works for, of course, the ever-present Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and gets the bad news that her contract – more like indentured servitude – has been extended another six years without her knowledge.
Devastated by the news that she cannot get herself and her child-like (because he’s been damaged in the past) android “brother” Andy (David Jonsson) off the planet, Rain joins a group of four other young co-workers who have detected an abandoned space station drifting above the planet. Their plan: fly their own ship up to the derelict, break in and load its cryosleep pods into their vessel, and fly off to the distant planet Yvaga, where life is presumably more pleasant and one can actually see a sunrise instead of round-the-clock darkness.
We’ve already glimpsed that space station in a brief prologue, and it’s no spoiler to tell you that our young friends find out the hard way that while there is no crew in sight, the spacecraft is definitely inhabited. The initial buildup of the story is brief, with the six colonists getting up to the station in relatively short order. The exploration of its darkened, abandoned corridors is one of the highlights of the film and most reminiscent in spirit of both the original ‘Alien’ and the space Marines’ foray into the deserted colony on LV-426 in ‘Aliens’ (although why no one else seems to know this rather large space station is floating above the colony is a mystery that the film never answers).
The pace continues to pick up as our friends make their first contact with Xenomorphs (come on, it’s right in the trailer) in their facehugger form, ending in a bad way for one of their number. There are other revelations to come as well, including how a Xenomorph first got on the station, what the station’s purpose was, and how the seemingly innocent Andy undergoes an upgrade that suddenly has Rain wondering if her adopted mechanical sibling can be trusted even to save her life.
A lot of exposition comes courtesy of a plot device we won’t discuss in detail here, but is the one that audiences – ‘Alien’ fans in particular, but also people with a conscience in general – may find difficult to reckon with. Yes, that’s the one we mention above that’s distracting and frankly ghoulish; we can only hope the right people got paid well for it, but even then it may set a terrible precedent. That in turn opens the floodgates for a series of callbacks to various other ‘Alien’ movies as Rain, Andy, and their dwindling band try to escape the growing infestation of Xenomorphs and the station itself, which in time-honored ‘Alien’ tradition is on a path to destruction in less than the two hours it takes to watch ‘Alien: Romulus.’
Some of the homages are subtle and kind of neat, like a reference to the events of ‘Prometheus’ that works in context. Others, however, approach ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ levels of inanity and over-slavish fan service, while another climactic reveal channels the last plot turn you’d expect from one of the less popular entries in the series.
In fairness, Álvarez – who has covered this kind of territory before with his underrated 2013 ‘Evil Dead’ remake – keeps the action moving, the shocks visceral, and the atmosphere grimy and bleak, aided by Galo Olivares’ excellent cinematography and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score. Both effortlessly channel the vibe and tone of the early ‘Alien’ movies. In many respects, this is the most intense and effective film in the series since the first two, which makes the decision to lean hard into blatant nostalgia bait down the stretch all the more irritating.
Following her recent sterling work in ‘Priscilla’ and ‘Civil War,’ Cailee Spaeny is a bit flat here as Rain. Like the rest of the cast, she seems a bit too young to have been laboring for years already under Weyland-Yutani, although the future’s child labor laws may have started her in the field at a young age. She’s clearly meant to continue the time-honored ‘Alien’ tradition started by Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, but her character isn’t given enough development early on and her line readings tend to veer toward monotone. Spaeny does handle her eventual (and expected) transformation into action-oriented warrior well, and she’s still an engaging screen presence.
Even though Spaeny is top-billed, the movie belongs to David Jonsson as Andy. It’s also been a feature of the ‘Alien’ films that its synthetic characters are among its best, and Andy follows in the tradition laid down by Ash, Bishop, and David. But he’s also his own unique creation: found “in the trash” by Rain’s late father and adopted as a sort of little brother with intellectual disabilities that she must take care of, Andy undergoes the best, most fully realized (and arguably only) character arc in the film, an arc that creates its own narrative tension and makes for the most compelling parts of the story. Jonsson is spectacular throughout, handling Andy’s transformation with nuance, mystery, and a mix of empathy and unease. It’s also interesting to see more of the ‘Alien’ universe here, in terms of how synthetics are perceived and treated, which opens up all kinds of possibilities should the series continue.
As for the rest of the small cast, they also unfortunately follow a time-honored ‘Alien’ tradition of simply being Xenomorph fodder. But while previous installments were often peppered with seasoned character actors who could make something out of nothing (Harry Dean Stanton, Jenette Goldstein, and many others say hello), this crew is largely forgettable, as hard as they try and as fully as they commit.
On the other hand, special props should go to the actors and operators behind the practical and animatronic Xenomorph manifestations – it’s refreshing to see Álvarez return to physical creations on set, which also keeps ‘Romulus’ in line with the franchise’s initial, classic entries.
As we said earlier, as so many legacy sequels and franchises are prone to do, Álvarez’s film feels the need to rely on obvious and even silly callbacks in the name of fan service. Like so many filmmakers nowadays, he seems to worry that the fan base may not be perceptive enough to handle new ideas without reassuring them that he’s not straying too far. This, along with that one unsettling element we mentioned earlier, hurts ‘Alien: Romulus,’ but not fatally.
Yet there is a lot to like in the movie too; in a series that’s yielded far more disappointments and squandered opportunities than not, it’s nice to see an entry fashioned by a filmmaker who’s clearly passionate about this mythology and legacy. ‘Alien: Romulus’ is an often exciting, suspenseful, and gruesome crowd-pleaser that fits well into the existing canon and works hard – almost too hard – to recreate the experience of watching the saga’s best films.
‘Alien: Romulus’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Alien: Romulus’?
A group of young space colonists hatch a plan to salvage technology from an abandoned space station and inadvertently come face to face with an incredibly dangerous life form that threatens all their lives.
(L to R) Spike Fearn, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Cailee Spaeny, director Fede Álvarez and Archie Renaux at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
‘Alien: Romulus’ brought terror to the San Diego Comic-Con.
Director Fede Alvarez and his cast were in attendance.
The movie’s team brought Facehuggers to the presentation.
It’s always a challenge to stand out at a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con; but when you have the compelling terror of an ‘Alien’ movie and the resources of 20th Century Studios, you can afford to put on a show.
With journalists previously teased by a VHS tape begging up the idea of the panel weeks before, the Con event itself proved to be memorable, launched with flashing red lights and red smoke piercing the pre-show gloom and closing with a planted audience member stumbling on stage, attacked by a Facehugger (AKA the larval stage of the xenomorph aliens we love to hate), others of the creature scuttling across the stage and another person having an alien burst from his chest with a spray of fake blood.
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
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Who is in ‘Alien: Romulus’?
(L to R) David Jonsson, Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Cailee Spaeny, and Spike Fearn at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
The actors talked about their roles and the experience shooting the movie, which blended practical and physical effects –– Fearn talked about not having to shoot “with tennis balls”, while Spaeny enthused about being enveloped by the huge practical sets.
What did we learn at the ‘Alien: Romulus’ Comic-Con panel?
(L to R) Director Fede Álvarez, Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux and Spike Fearn at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Director Fede Alvarez, who wrote the script with regular collaborator Rodo Sayagues, answered the lion’s share of the questions, including those submitted by the likes of Ridley Scott (director of the original 1979 ‘Alien’ and a couple of more recent spin-offs, who is a producer on ‘Romulus’), Dan Trachtenberg (director of Predator movie ‘Prey’) and Guillermo del Toro (a filmmaker who surely needs little introduction).
Asked by del Toro about his approach to leading the design for the latest take on the xenomorph creature, he admitted it included lots of reading and looking through old films to make sure they honored what came before. “If you love it, it’s hard to f*** it up,” he said.
Trachtenberg asked who would win between a Predator and a Xenomorph, with Alvarez and his cast clear that the Xenomorphs would triumph.
Cailee Spaeny at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Scott got two questions –– one about the themes of the new movie (“It’s called ‘Romulus’ because it’s really a story about siblinghood,” Alvarez said, explaining that he wants to explore more human connections in a way the original movies didn’t.
The other Scott query could almost have come from the fan Q&A section, grilling Alvarez on his favorite ‘Alien’ movie, with the proviso that he directed the original –– which Alvarez confirmed he loved the most (well, it wouldn’t do to be fired at this point).
Dotted through the panel was footage from the movie, including a chestburster scene that the director explained upfront had been edited differently to the final film version so as to preclude some spoilers. All the scenes shown from the movie had the audience screaming and cheering in equal measure.
When will ‘Alien: Romulus’ be in theaters?
The movie itself is due to unleash horror in cinemas on August 16th.
(Right) Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
(Left) Timothy Olyphant in FX’s ‘Justified.’ (Right) 2012’s ‘Prometheus.’
Preview:
Timothy Olyphant will reunite with ‘Fargo’s Noah Hawley for his ‘Alien’ TV series.
The show will resume filming early next year.
On the big screen front, Cailee Spaeny has offered an update on Fede Alvarez’ ‘Alien’ movie.
Not content with ‘Fargo’ returning for a fifth season, Noah Hawley has been working on his ‘Alien’ prequel TV series for cable channel FX.
And it appears he’s recruited someone who has previously on the darkly comic crime series, as Timothy Olyphant is, according to Deadline, set to take one of the lead roles.
Olyphant, of course, appeared in Season 4 of ‘Fargo’, playing Dick ‘Deafy’ Wickware.
So far, very few details have been revealed about the new show. We do know that it’ll factor into the main ‘Alien’ storyline (so has no connection to the ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ movies, which were set on Earth and closer to present day) but located on Earth and taking place roughly 70 years in the future.
Thanks to the Deadline story, we now know that Olyphant is reportedly playing Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for Sydney Chandler’s Wendy who is a hybrid, a meta-human who has the brain and consciousness of a child but the body of an adult. We’d caution that no official confirmation has arrived for that.
With ‘Alien’ director (and franchise overseer) Ridley Scott giving his stamp of approval as executive producer, the series kicked off shooting in Thailand on July 19th, just four days into the actors’ strike.
It initially got around the SAG-AFTRA shutdown film utilizing members of the cast who are affiliated with the British actors’ union Equity. But after a little more than a month, it had to stop.
Now, Hawley and his team will apparently gear the cameras back up in early 2024.
‘Alien’ On the Big Screen
(L to R) Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
Our TV screens are not the only places those crafty xenomorphs are invading. Fede Alvarez has been hard at work on ‘Alien: Romulus’, the latest movie in the franchise.
Now, according to lead Cailee Spaeny (who was back on the press circuit for ‘Priscilla’), we now know when the movie will take place.
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie. They brought the same team from ‘Aliens,’ the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. So, getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible.”
‘Alien: Romulus’ will be in theaters on August 16 next year.
(Left) Director Ridley Scott on the set of ‘Black Hawk Down.’ Photo: Oscars.com. (Right) A scene from 2012’s ‘Prometheus.’
Preview
Director Fede Alvarez has been working on a new ‘Alien’ movie for release next year.
Original ‘Alien’ director Ridley Scott, who’s also producing, has seen it and declared it “great.”
The new film from Alvarez, director of ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Don’t Breathe,’ is said to be a standalone story.
If you’re filmmaker Fede Álvarez, you’re feeling pretty good right about now.
The Uruguayan-born writer and director of the 2013 ‘Evil Dead’ remake and 2016’s sleeper horror hit ‘Don’t Breathe’ has been quietly toiling away on a new ‘Alien’ movie for 20th Century Studios, but little has been heard about it since it was first announced in early 2022.
Scott was of course also behind the camera for the original ‘Alien’ and two later entries in the series, ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien: Covenant.’ His reaction to the new film?
According to Alvarez:
“…he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s f***ing great.’ For me, it was like… My family knows it was one of the best moments of my life to have a master like him, whom I admired so much, to even watch a movie I made, but particularly something like this… and talk to me for an hour about what he liked about it.”
Alvarez noted that Scott is notoriously tough on films, both his own and those made by others, even apparently giving a “meh” to ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ the sequel to his late brother Tony Scott’s 1986 ‘Top Gun.’
The new movie, the first in the series since ‘Alien: Covenant,’ is said to feature a group of young colonists on a distant planet and is not connected to the previous eight entries in the franchise (including the two ‘Alien vs. Predator’ spinoffs).
What has been happening with the ‘Alien’ franchise in recent years?
2012’s ‘Prometheus.’
‘Alien: Romulus’ will be the first film in the franchise since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) in 2019.
After seeing diminishing returns with the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ movies in the mid-2000s, the studio put the series on the back burner until Scott himself returned to direct 2012’s ‘Prometheus,’ a prequel set in the same universe as the previous ‘Alien’ films.
While ‘Prometheus’ wasn’t a box office blockbuster, it did well enough for Scott to keep going, helming ‘Alien: Covenant’ in 2017 and promising two more films for an entirely new trilogy.
But a tepid response from moviegoers to ‘Covenant,’ as well as the pending sale of the studio to the Mouse House, also put those plans – along with another proposed sequel by director Neill Blomkamp – on a seemingly permanent hold.
The only other activity since then, before the announcement of Alvarez’s film, has been the development of an ‘Alien’ TV series by Noah Hawley (‘Fargo,’ ‘Legion’), set decades before the first film and set to stream via FX on Hulu. Filming began this past summer but was halted by the SAG-AFTRA strike.
According to Variety, ‘Alien: Romulus’ was initially slated for a Hulu debut as well, but will now be released in theaters on August 18, 2024.
Sam Raimi’s ‘The Evil Dead’ remains a much-cherished entry in the horror genre, even though the director himself effectively remade it with 1987’s even more well-regarded sequel (technically a requel) ‘Evil Dead II’, which had a (slightly) boosted budget and even more gory action featuring his friend, muse and –– frequently –– on-screen punching bag Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams.
The story is similar in both: friends stay at an isolated cabin in the woods, discover a Necronomicon, a strange book bound in human flesh and illustrated with blood, and unleash an unspeakable evil, leading to demons possessing people, hacked-off limbs, and vigorous use of a chainsaw.
A third entry, ‘Army of Darkness’ expands the scope (and time period), transporting Ash to 1300 A.D., where he must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead so he can return home. It’s bigger, though not always better.
In the years since, the hugely inspirational franchise (Raimi’s freewheeling, dynamic style has been frequently copied but rarely matched) has expanded to include Álvarez’s film and TV spin-off ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’. The 2013 entry is well-liked, though while it is certainly gory, it doesn’t channel the level of self-deprecating humor that infuses Raimi’s movies.
Now here comes ‘Evil Dead Rise’ written and directed by Dublin-born filmmaker Lee Cronin, who has previous experience with shorts and critically acclaimed horror movie ‘The Hole in the Ground’.
A devout fan of the ‘Evil Dead’ movies, he was hand-picked by Raimi to craft the fifth in the series, and the choice was a wise one.
An earthquake rocks the building where Ellie and the kids live, revealing –– since the creaking high rise was once a bank –– a buried vault that contains a copy of a very familiar tome and some vinyl records that appear to go with it. Danny foolishly tries to open the book and plays the records… which leads, of course, to the rise of flesh possessing demons, thrusting them all into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
Cronin’s film, while not at the level of Raimi’s in terms of humor either, certainly injects a frothier style into the story.
Before we ever get to the high rise, however, we’re treated to some more familiar forest territory, leading to an effective fake-out that this movie might be taking the expected direction. We won’t go into how that ties into the plot too much, since there are some surprises to be found, but it kicks off with a shot borrowing the Raimi style that turns out to be something else. It’s clever, knowing and the perfect start to the movie.
Moving the story away from the traditional setting offers up some truly fresh ideas for the premise, and there are some very inventive horrors to be found lurking within. It’s also more emotionally grounded than any that have come before, the sibling and family dynamic used thoughtfully to truly set up characters before unleashing the Deadite creatures for which this franchise is known.
Sutherland and Sullivan in particular are relatable, grounded characters, swapping realistic sisterly dialogue and feeling like people rather than stock movie stereotypes.
Once the bloody pedal hits the metal and the Deadite madness overwhelms anything, the movie takes off at a high gear and rarely stops for breath, eye-catching, gross injuries and deaths flying thick and fast.
An elevator, a glass, a cheese grater and even a bathtub are all delivery methods for terror and anguish here, and horror fans are likely to find plenty to keep them entertained.
Cronin also manages to include nods to Raimi’s films (a chainsaw, a shotgun, and a certain classic car among them) without the Easter eggs diverting attention and ruining the movie for those who don’t obsessively watch the original movies.
There are only a few issues with ‘Evil Dead Rise’ that keep it from true greatness –– youngest child Kassie occasionally falls into the grating overly cute kid mode, and of course displays some of the questionable decisions needed to get everyone else into trouble. Characters beyond the family are largely chattel, briefly set up in order to be suitably offed in nasty fashion, but then that’s par for the course for a horror movie and to expand them further would inflate the movie beyond its swift running time.
The dumb decisions are not limited to Kassie, though, and there is the odd howler that only characters in this situation make. Also, likely to be more eye-rolling than cover-your-eyes-with-your-hands is an odd time jump where you can’t quite figure out how characters overcame seemingly insurmountable odds with little to no trouble.
Final Thoughts
That said, ‘Evil Dead Rise’ is an effectively creepy and freakish horror movie that easily earns its place in the ‘Evil Dead’ pantheon and, even if it doesn’t star Bruce Campbell (though he’s been cleverly included in a way we won’t reveal here).
Fans will be happy with the frenetic action and even those who don’t know their Ash from their elbow will appreciate the creative scares on display here. And that, as Ash himself might say, is just groovy.
‘Evil Dead Rise’ is produced by New Line Cinema, Renaissance Pictures, Ghost House Pictures, Pacific Renaissance Pictures, and Wild Atlantic Pictures. It is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 21st, 2023.
The new action comedy, which Feig will direct from Rob Yescombe’s script, will kick off filming next week and will premiere on Prime Video worldwide.
Says Feig, “I love action comedy and extreme physical comedy and this movie has both in abundance, as well as a boatload of heart and hilarity. This lotto will make winners of us all.”
According to Amazon and MGM Studios boss Jennifer Salke,
“’Grand Death Lotto’ is the kind of original idea audiences have been craving, and there’s no one better than the endlessly talented Paul Feig to steer the ship. We can’t wait to watch John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu bring this fun, action-packed script to life for our Prime Video customers around the world.”
Though he’s mostly been known for more straightforward comedy, Feig is hardly a stranger to adding action in the mix –– 2016’s ‘Ghostbusters’ featured plenty of spooky combat, while there was espionage threats in ‘Spy’, cop shootouts in ‘The Heat’ and magical battles in his recent ‘The School for Good and Evil’.
Paul Feig attends the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘The School For Good And Evil’ at Regency Village Theatre on October 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
The official synopsis reads: “In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.
Awkwafina will next be seen in horror comedy ‘Renfield’ (in theaters on April 14th) and heard in Disney’s new version of ‘The Little Mermaid’, which will swim into theaters on May 26th.
And Cena –– assuming anyone can see him –– will reprise his role as Jakob Toretto in ‘Fast X’, headed our way on May 19th.
John Cena in ‘F9.’
The fear of violent death is also something that will concern Isabela Merced, who is transitioning from the romantic complications of Hulu’s ‘Rosaline’ to the new ‘Alien’ movie that Fede Álvarez is making.
Little is yet known about exactly what will happen in the movie, but according to the basic official logline, a group of young people on a distant world find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
And we don’t, of course, know how Spaeny, Merced and the rest’s characters will factor into that, but we’d have to guess they’ll spend some time fighting for their lives.
The new movie won’t directly follow the original series of extraterrestrial horror/action movies as kicked off by Scott’s ‘Alien’ in 1979, nor will it continue the story in the director’s ‘Prometheus’-led prequel films (Scott keeps saying he’ll make another of those himself).
Álvarez certainly has the horror chops to pull off a compelling new ‘Alien’ movie, which for the past few years has largely been the province of Scott. And though he’s been prolific of late, he hasn’t returned to the universe since 2017’s ‘Alien: Covenant’.
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in James Cameron’s ‘Aliens.’
Neill Blomkamp took a crack around 2014/2015, releasing concept art for a movie that would follow Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley from the Scott films, but aside from a lot of social media activity, it eventually got delayed indefinitely so as not to muddy the xenomorph waters before ‘Covenant’.
You can imagine, then, that Álvarez must have come up with something interesting to have Scott give him the thumbs up. Either that, or the venerable filmmaker has so many other projects on his plate between directing and producing duties that he simply realized he needed to give someone else a chance for a while. He has his ‘Napoleon‘ film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, in post-production now.
Though it has yet to announce a release date, we can imagine that, with filming underway, the movie could well hit theaters in 2024.
Merced has a couple of other movies on the way, including John Green adaptation ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ and Sony’s Spider-universe superhero film ‘Madame Web’, which will be out on February 16th next year.
Following the recent few years where it felt like only Ridley Scott was allowed to make ‘Alien’ movies, Fede Álvarez finally managed to convince him that someone else deserved a shot back in March, with his own take on the concept.
Little is yet known about exactly what is, but when the news first broke, 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell commented that Scott and the studio had been convinced by the director’s pitch, which will include “a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before”.
With Álvarez having delivered his latest script draft to Scott and the studio, the momentum is building for this one, and shooting should be underway next year. While the rest of the cast is being gathered through auditions and test screenings, Spaeny has been the favorite for the lead role following meetings with Álvarez and the producers.
The new movie won’t directly follow the original series of extraterrestrial horror/action movies as kicked off by Scott’s ‘Alien’ in 1979, nor will it continue the story in the director’s ‘Prometheus’-led prequel films (Scott keeps saying he’ll make another of those himself). Instead, it’ll be set in the same universe following a new set of characters dealing with facehugger/xenomorph terror.
Kristen Stewart arrives on the red carpet of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo: Michael Baker / A.M.P.A.S.
In related Scott Free news, there are fresh details on a movie that we are relatively confident won’t feature slavering creatures with acid for blood or chests bursting open in a spray of bodily fluids.
Kristen Stewart, who cut her directorial teeth on a short film for the company, has now locked in a deal to make her feature directing debut with ‘The Chronology of Water’, which has Imogen Poots set to star.
Stewart has also worked with Andy Mingo on the script, which adapts Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir.
The tome is described as a lyrical journey through a life saved by art. A young woman finds her voice through the written word and her salvation as a swimmer – ultimately becoming a triumphant teacher, mother and a singular modern writer.
“Lidia’s memoir honors corporeal experience, radically,” says Stewart in a statement carried by Deadline. “To make that experience physical feels vital to me and what this impulse means … is that it absolutely must be a film. This project has been cooking for five years with the help of Scott Free, whom I could not be more privileged to have as partners and friends. Imogen Poots will carry this movie and the staggering weight of Lidia’s life. She can hold it. I am beyond lucky to have her.”
Ridley Scott on the set of 1979’s ‘Alien.’
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