Noah Hawley's Alien Series Gets Premiere Window Much Later Than Expected
The "Alien" franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, but there was reason for excitement when it was announced Noah Hawley, the mind behind "Fargo" and "Legion," was working on a new television series based on the franchise to arrive on FX. It's been in the works for a while now, and a 2021 report from TheWrap stated how it was originally supposed to come out in 2023. That's clearly not happening, and based on the most recent reports, it's going to be a while until an "Alien" TV series graces our screens in all of its chest-bursting glory.
TheWrap spoke with Hawley in anticipation of "Fargo" Season 5, and he provided an update on the "Alien" series. "The plan right now is to go back in January and be shooting in February, and looks like shoot until July or so, which puts the air date somewhere in the first half of [20]25," Hawley said. He also mentioned it was dependent on when the SAG-AFTRA strike ended, which, unbeknownst to him, would be relatively soon, as it came to a close on November 9. With the strike in the rearview mirror, production could reasonably get rolling in January and get on track for a 2025 release.
Hawley has had great success delving into pre-established worlds, as evidenced by "Fargo." Hopefully, the delays mean there's more time to work on the show and ensure it's as great as possible.
Noah Hawley has already filmed some of his Alien show
Ever since Noah Hawley's "Alien" show was announced, it's just been cursed with bad luck. Filming was intended to begin early in 2022. However, it had to be delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was pushed back to 2023, and that's when it ran into trouble with the SAG-AFTRA strike over the summer. The team actually did manage to film some of the series due to its British cast being under a separate contract from SAG-AFTRA. But they could only get so far.
Hawley explained, "I was able to complete filming most of the first hour. That said, I wasn't able to film anything with my star [Sydney Chandler]. So I still have the bulk of the show to film, and we have seven more hours to shoot. I certainly would have loved to get the show in front of people as quickly as possible." As it stands, the "Alien" series will reportedly come out probably within the first six months of 2025. That means it'll likely be released after Fede Álvarez's "Alien: Romulus," which is scheduled to come out on August 16, 2024.
After a drought of "Alien" projects, there's much to look forward to in the near future. And given Hawley's pedigree in television, there are plenty of reasons to get excited for his new "Alien" shows coming in 2025, assuming another massive event doesn't upend production between now and then.