Romulus’ Sequel Plans Are Already Repeating A Risky Ridley Scott Mistake

Alien: Rolumus breathed new life into the long-running sci-fi saga, but its sequel plans are already repeating an error of the Ridley Scott prequel era. Romulus was exactly the kind of clean slate the Alien movie series needed, with the film requiring no real prior experience for newcomers while offering many easter eggs and callbacks for devotees. Alien: Romulus‘ box office success makes a sequel inevitable, and a THR interview with 20th Century’s Steve Asbell makes it clear the studio wants director Fede Álvarez back for the next movie.

This makes sense, but it might not be the right move. Alien is a unique series in that the early follow-ups were shaped by some of the best filmmakers at the beginnings of their careers; the original was only Ridley Scott’s second film, while Alien 3 gave David Fincher his directorial debut. Álvarez is a skilled filmmaker and a horror nerd himself, but if Romulus had a weakness, it was that it leaned on past movies too hard. His potential return also signals that the studio would rather play things safe than get experimental again.

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Alien: Romulus Bringing Back The Same Director Repeats A Ridley Scott Mistake

Scott’s Alien comeback was surprisingly divisive

Ridley Scott was never invited back to direct any of the past Alien sequels and always stated his interest in making a prequel exploring the Engineer creatures. There was much rejoicing when he signed on for Prometheus, but both that 2012 outing and its sequel Alien: Covenant proved disappointing to many. Scott’s talent for visuals and their ambitious scope notwithstanding, both entries were let down by sloppy storytelling. It also became clear Scott had little interest in the Xenomorphs themselves, and was using the brand to explore other concepts.

Scott deserves immense credit for trying to expand what an Alien movie can be, but neither of his prequels were entirely successful in their goals. Having Scott return for two movies in a row also prevented the series from being injected with a fresh perspective, as past entries used to do. There’s a world of difference between the directorial styles of James Cameron and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, but it was exciting to see what they brought to the same basic premise.

If Alien: Romulus 2 brings back Álvarez, it’s easy to imagine he will make a follow-up in a similiar vein to Romulus once again. Andy (David Jonsson) and Rain (Cailee Spaeny) will probably return too, with the unconventional brother and sister duo having to deal with a new outbreak. This gets to a core issue many franchises struggle with; how many times can you tell the same story before it gets stale?

The first four movies got around this by handing the keys to vastly different filmmakers, and seeing how they would play around with the core ideas. Unless Álvarez has a vastly different concept in mind and plans to mix up his style, his Romulus sequel will be a familiar (though no doubt expertly crafted) dish that will give audiences what they expect. Scott’s Covenant was Prometheus 2 with some Alien elements bolted on, when the series needed something entirely new.

Past Alien Sequels Kept The Series Fresh With Unique Directors

There is an Alien sequel for every mood

When boiling down the plots of the Alien saga, they can all be summed up with “protagonists trapped in an isolated location and chased by slimy monsters.” That’s a fairly reductive description – but it’s not inaccurate either. The reason they work is the talented filmmakers behind them, from the writers to the actors and craftspeople. The Sigourney Weaver era remains the most beloved for this reason, because whatever their faults, each Ripley sequel brought a different energy to proceedings. Alien is pure cosmic dread, while Resurrection is a charmingly campy sci-fi monster flick.

The series has been lacking a genuinely new point of view for some time, with Scott overseeing the last three installments as director and producer. Romulus is a pulpy, fast-moving B-movie, but it doesn’t try anything daring or different; it’s an Alien remix with some of Aliens‘ propulsive energy. While it was a hellish experience for the first-time director, Fincher’s Alien 3 took major swings in terms of tone and narrative subversion. This made it feel more dangerous than the average sequel and even set it apart from Scott’s original.

Cut to Scott’s prequels, and they both carry the same oddly portentous mood and self-seriousness, in a way that simply turned viewers off back in 2017. An Alien: Romulus sequel must avoid copying and pasting what made that film work, and figure out the next evolution of the long-running series.

Fede Álvarez Is Great, But An Alien: Romulus Sequel Needs A New Director

There’s a reason Fede Álvarez was hired to resurrect Alien

None of this is intended as a slam on Álvarez who proved with Evil Dead 2013 and Don’t Breathe that he has an innate understanding of horror and tension. Romulus being such a hit can be laid at his feet, as he knew how to please both new viewers and fans. Even so, it would be great for the property return to the original sequel mandate and see what a totally different kind of director could do with Alien. There’s no shortage of worthwhile candidates in the field either, just looking at 2024’s horror line-up.

Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance was a darkly comic body horror nightmare, and she could no doubt do something creative with the series. Leigh Whannell has co-created famous franchises of his own (Saw, Insidious) and reinvented classic characters like The Invisible Man, while Arkasha Stevenson did the near impossible by making a genuinely fantastic Omen prequel with The First Omen. Oz Perkins’ Longlegs brought a fairytale edge to the jaded serial killer genre, resulting in a word-of-mouth hit. Each one would do something totally different with Alien, which would be more exciting than a Romulus 2.

Source: THR

Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.

Director

Fede Alvarez

Release Date

August 16, 2024

Studio(s)

Scott Free Productions , 20th Century

Writers

Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett

Cast

Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux , Isabela Merced , Spike Fearn , Aileen Wu , Rosie Ede , Soma Simon , Bence Okeke , Viktor Orizu , Robert Bobroczkyi , Trevor Newlin , Annemarie Griggs , Daniel Betts

Runtime

119 Minutes

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