There is much excitement about Fede Álvarez’s new movie Alien: Romulus and the buzz is well-deserved. This standalone Alien film seems to be going back to the core of the franchise. It aims to revisit the horror elements of the original film, introduces a new group of main characters, and makes the xenomorphs frightening once again.
Despite some less impressive entries in the Alien series recently, Romulus seeks to improve the franchise’s reputation. So, where does this new film fit in the Alien timeline? It actually slots between the franchise’s most celebrated movies.
‘Alien: Romulus’ Is Technically an Interquel
Alien: Romulus is positioned between Ridley Scott’s original Alien and James Cameron’s popular sequel, Aliens. This makes it a type of interquel. An interquel is defined as “a work that serves as both a sequel and a prequel, bridging the gap between two or more previously established works.”
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie,” said star Cailee Spaeny in 2023. She highlighted that many members of the team from Aliens returned to assist in creating the striking xenomorphs featured in this film.
Director Fede Álvarez also shared that he sought guidance from producer Ridley Scott regarding the film’s visual style and consulted with James Cameron on the script. “[Alien: Romulus] takes 20 years after the first one, and for me, I don’t see it as upsetting the canon,” Álvarez explained.
“It’s something I take personal pleasure in doing, making sure that it all tracks and is all part of the big Alien franchise story — not only in the story, but also when it comes to how to make it.”
This approach contrasts with projects like Alien3 and Alien: Resurrection, which deviated from the scope of the original films. Romulus aims to bridge the gap between Alien and Aliens, which is a promising development.
When Does Alien: Romulus Fit in the Timeline?
Alien: Romulus is set in 2142, which is 20 years after the original Alien film that takes place in 2122. This timeline is nearly four decades before the events of Aliens in 2179. Additionally, Romulus is set after Ridley Scott’s prequel films, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which are set in 2093 and 2104 A.D. respectively.
The film is also set decades before Alien3, which occurs shortly after Aliens, and about 200 years before Alien: Resurrection. Since the Alien vs. Predator films are not considered part of the main Alien timeline, they do not have any connection to Romulus.
The Alien Franchise Has More to Offer
Interestingly, Alien: Romulus is not the only official interquel that connects Alien to Aliens. The first was the 2014 video game Alien: Isolation, which later became a digital web series in 2019.
This story follows Amanda Ripley (Andrea Deck), the daughter of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), as she tries to find out what happened to her mother and the Nostromo crew. During her search, she encounters a xenomorph.
Isolation is considered a more direct interquel, taking place in 2137, a few years before the new 2024 film. If you are interested in more Alien stories from this period, Isolation is a great choice.
In addition, another major Alien project is in development. An FX on Hulu series titled Alien: Earth is being produced.
This series will be set three decades before the original 1979 film, likely in 2092, which is a year before Prometheus. While it is unlikely that Alien: Earth will connect directly with Alien: Romulus, it is exciting to see the Alien universe continue to grow and expand.
