Fans will have to wait a bit for the new FX series based on the horror/sf classic Alien, but it will be worth it–if one highly placed source can be believed.
FX chairman John Landgraf this week gave an update on the can’t-wait-to-see small screen Alien. “There are some big surprises in store for the audience,” Landgraf told Deadline.
The TV show–from series creator and showrunner Noah Hawley–will not include an appearance from Sigourney Weaver’s iconic Ellen Ripley character, Landgraf said, for a very simple reason. “Alien takes place before Ripley,” he explained.
“It’s the first story that takes place in the Alien franchise on Earth,” he added. “It takes place on our planet, right near the end of this century–about 70 years from now.”
Landgraf then expounded on that premise, saying Ripley “won’t be a part of it–nor any of the other characters in Alien–other than the alien itself.”
Landgraf added that five scripts are already set for Alien, but production will be held off until Hawley can shoot Fargo–another big project for FX. Fargo, it was explained, needs to start filming this winter, given its Midwest setting.
Ridley Scott–the filmmaker behind the original 1979 Alien film who will serve as producer of the TV series–said plans call for between eight and 10 hour-long episodes.
The original Alien–helmed by Scott and written by Dan O’Bannon–follows the crew of the space tug Nostromo, who encounter the meanest, ugliest alien in the galaxy. The blockbuster raked in more than $106 million on an $11-million budget and gave birth to sequels, novels, comic books and enough collectibles to fill a space station.
Keep reading Horror News Network for the latest on Alien on FX.
