20th Century Studios is developing a new Alien film, but it will seemingly feature far less of the grizzled veterans that headlined the previous movies. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the new movie from Evil Dead director Fede Alvarez has found its latest cast members in the form of David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu, all of whom appear to be young and upcoming actors, hinting at a new horror piece that will show how newer generations might fare against the franchise’s deadly Xenomorphs. The new movie, which will also star Isabela Merced (Transformers: The Last Knight), is set to begin production in Budapest this week on Thursday, March 9.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Plot details are being kept in a cryochamber, but as opposed to the other movies which focused on adults in corporate, militaristic and scientific roles, this now-ninth installment of the franchise will focus on a group of young people. On a distant colony, the group finds themselves in a fight for their lives with the titular alien, a creature known as a Xenomorph, whose race propagates by implanting eggs into people’s stomachs via face-huggers, with the juveniles eventually violently bursting out of the host’s chest.
Spaeny leads the cast in a role that is being compared to the one played by Sigourney Weaver in the initial Alien movies. Isabela Merced is also in the cast.
Ridley Scott, who directed the original Alien and produced and directed the series entries Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, is producing via his Scott Free banner along with the company’s Michael Pruss.
From a Deadline report:
After playing Juliet in 20th Century’s Romeo & Juliet spin-off Rosaline, Isabela Merced and 20th Century are teaming up again on one of the studios iconic IPs. Sources tell Deadline, Merced is set to join Cailee Spaeny in 20th Century’s new Alien movie.
Merced recently starred as Juliet in the feature film Rosaline, 20th Century’s revisionist Romeo & Juliet tale opposite Kaitlyn Dever, streaming now on Hulu. She can be seen next as the lead in New Line’s Turtles All the Way Down, the upcoming film adaptation of John Green’s New York Times best-selling novel for HBOMax. She is also set to star alongside Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in Sony Pictures’ Madame Web, based on the Marvel comics.
