Alien: Romulus Sequel Story's New Direction Teased By Director In Update: "Uncharted Waters"

The Alien: Romulus sequel gets an exciting new update from director Fede Alvarez, who teases a change in direction. Coming seven years after Alien: Covenant, the latest installment in the Alien franchise follows a young crew as they encounter a Xenomorph aboard a derelict space station. Alien: Romulus reviews were positive from critics and the movie was a box office success, leading to confirmation that Alvarez is in the early stages of working on a sequel.

During a recent interview with Empire, Alvarez provides an update on his Alien: Romulus sequel, revealing that the next movie will differ from the 2024 hit in some key ways. According to the director, audiences can expect the next film to take the franchise into some new territory. Though the sequel will be a departure in some ways, Alvarez does suggest that Cailee Spaeny's Rain and David Jonsson's Andy will be returning. Check out Alvarez's comment below:

Rodo [Sayagues, co-writer] and I are working on that right now. We’re excited about where it can go. We’ve almost checked all of the boxes of things that I want to see [in Romulus], and brought back a lot of the things I hadn’t seen in a while. Wherever we go now, we can go into uncharted waters. I think it’ll be so exciting to go with characters you know from this movie, to a place in the Alien franchise that we’ve never been before, and to discover things that you’ve never seen before.

Alvarez stresses, however, that a direct sequel to Romulus is not yet a sure thing, and that it will only happen if he and Sayagues can come up with a strong enough story:

The mistake usually with sequels is to make them because you can, and because of the success of Romulus, we definitely can make a sequel,” he states. “But I wouldn’t do it unless we have a really good idea for it, something that’s worthy of the title.

What Alvarez's Update Means For The Alien: Romulus Sequel

How The Next Movie Can Fix One Complaint

Alien: Romulus was generally well-received, sporting an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was also a box office hit, grossing $350 million on an $80 million budget. One complaint that popped up in reviews, however, is that the movie sometimes feels like a greatest hits album, remixing a number of elements from the franchise that audiences have already seen. With Alvarez teasing that the next movie will go in a new direction, this could mean that it avoids these types of complaints.

The Alien: Romulus ending features Rain and Andy heading off for Yvaga III, and any direct sequel would seemingly pick up this story thread. With both Spaeny and Jonsson singled out as highlights of the film, the latter especially, a sequel already looks to be on sure footing.

Spaeny recently starred in A24's Civil War, while Jonsson is well-known for his role as Gus Sackey in Industry.

Our Take On Alvarez's Alien: Romulus Sequel Update

Alvarez Has Proven Himself The Best Filmmaker For The Job

The Offspring looking at Rain holding a gun in Alien: Romulus (2024)

Even though parts of Romulus may feel familiar, it's still ultimately a thrilling movie and a solid entry in the Alien franchise. The Alien: Romulus ending with the birth of Xenomorph hybrid the Offspring is, by far, a standout aspect of the movie, and it's when Alvarez's unique horror sensibilities really shine through. If the sequel channels this bonkers ending sequence and leans into just how wild and weird the Alien franchise can be, it could end up being an improvement.

After both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant featured one-off protagonists, it would also be great to see Rain and Andy back. Rain could become a Ripley-like hero if given a chance to shine and develop across multiple films, and it would create a greater sense of continuity across films. Many questions remain about the Alien: Romulussequel, but it's now looking even more exciting.

Source: Empire