Since 1992’s iconic T2: Judgment Day, filmmakers have been trying to recapture that lightning-in-a-bottle moment of one of the greatest movies of the '90s and one of the best sci-fi films of all time. The Terminator franchise has never lacked ambition, but it has struggled to move forward. With each new movie comes the promise of a fresh take, but many end up recycling the same familiar beats. That's why it’s cool to hear someone with Noah Hawley's resume explain how they’d move forward with the series. The novelist and showrunner pointed out one major problem with the franchise, which I totally agree with, and how he’d improve it.

Hawley, best known for hit peak TV shows like Fargo and FX hits like Legion, and now Alien: Earth, all streaming with a Hulu subscription, recently discussed the broader challenge of adapting beloved franchises in an interview with Business Insider. When the conversation turned hypothetical, Hawley was asked what he might do if he ever took a crack at The Terminator, and his answer zeroed in on what feels like the series’s most stubborn problem. According to the Lucy in the Sky screenwriter:

It’s hard to argue with that assessment. Since Terminator 2, nearly every sequel and reboot has been built around the same core mechanic with diminishing returns. The only outlier was 2009’s Terminator: Salvation, which ditched that formula but still failed to create a story that resonated with longtime fans. Since then, the result is a franchise that feels stuck reenacting its greatest hits instead of asking new questions.

What makes Hawley’s comments especially compelling is his track record. When he adapted Fargo for television, he didn’t try to remake the Coen brothers’ film; instead, he used its themes, tone, and moral ambiguity as a foundation. Legion did something similar with the X-Men, stripping away traditional superhero movie expectations to explore mental illness.

That approach is precisely what The Terminator has been missing. The original films weren’t just about killer robots. They were about fear of technology and humanity’s tendency to create its own destroyers. But over time, those ideas were overshadowed by the plot mechanics of time travel. Hawley’s suggestion isn’t to abandon time travel altogether, but to stop treating it as the point of the story.

His philosophy seems to center around the simple question of whether the story still works without the franchise branding. If the answer is no, something’s wrong. Applied to The Terminator, that means finding a narrative that stands on its own, then layering the sci-fi elements back in.

That could mean exploring life after Judgment Day in a grounded way, or examining the moral compromises humans make in a war they believe they’re destined to lose. It could even mean shifting perspective entirely, telling the story from a place the franchise hasn’t touched yet.

At this point, The Terminator doesn’t need another remix of what already worked, but much like Hawley has done with Alien: Earth and filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg did with Prey, and its follow-up, the 2025 hit Predator: Badlands, the series needs someone willing to take serious creative risks. If The Terminator is ever going to feel vital again, it may need the very thing Hawley keeps chasing in his own work—innovation over imitation.

It's been a long time since Star Trek had a movie in theaters, though it's not for a lack of trying. Paramount had several false starts over the past decade as it tried to get a film made, and when it finally had a chance to make it happen in 2025, Section 31 was made available with a Paramount+ subscription. There was also a movie from director Noah Hawley that almost happened, but it could've been derailed by a comment involving Chris Pine.

Hawley made waves on the 2025 TV schedule after his series, Alien: Earth, was released by FX. And after watching that show, I wrote about how it bummed me out that his Trek movie didn't work out. Now, in an interview with the SFF Gazette, he laid out just how close it was to happening before it was called off completely:

It's wild to hear this story now, with the context being that the movie ultimately didn't happen. It's also painful for me personally, because of how much I loved Alien: Earth and can only imagine how Hawley would've crushed it with a Star Trek story.

As it turns out, Noah Hawley's Trek idea got a lot further in the process than I assumed. The director revealed he was in the process of securing shooting locations when a change of staff put the progress to a grinding halt:

It's comments like this that offer some context as to why Star Trek's fourth Kelvin movie was stuck in development hell for so long. Paramount has balked at the opportunity to bring the franchise back to theaters a couple of times, despite several attempts to make it happen. This included an origin movie that was greenlit after Noah Hawley's was shot down, which we haven't heard a meaningful update on since.

This brings us to the present, in which Paramount Skydance has enlisted John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein to write a new Trek movie entirely separate from previous shows and movies. It's ironic, considering Noah Hawley's following comment about Chris Pine might've been what killed his movie:

Hearing that makes me want to bang my head against a wall, because I would've killed to see Noah Hawley's vision for Star Trek. Instead, Paramount let him go, and now, six years later, they're moving forward with the same direction he suggested years ago.

Of course, six years ago, there was still hope alive in the Star Trek fandom that Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin crew would be able to get together and do a fourth movie. However, in 2025, Chris Pine is as busy as ever, Zoë Saldana is about to release an Avatar movie, Zachary Quinto has NBC's Brilliant Minds, Karl Urban is wrapping up the final season of The Boys, and Simon Pegg is doing a bit of everything.

It's easy to see why Paramount Skydance opted to move on from the idea of a fourth Kelvin film happening, rather than try to pull that extremely busy group of actors together. If only they'd seen that back when Noah Hawley had a Trek script and was ready to shoot in Australia, but I guess there's no crying over spilled milk from a replicator.

Here's hoping we get a Star Trek movie filming before the end of 2026, or at least concrete plans for a date to start production! It's stories like these that make me cautious about theatrical plans for this franchise; however, maybe this time, we'll actually get to see a new story on the big screen.

Spoilers below for the Season 1 finale of Alien: Earth, so be warned if you haven’t yet streamed it via Hulu subscription or Disney+ subscription.

After eight dense episodes exploring the foibles of humanity in the face of superlative technology and extraterrestrial beings, Alien: Earth is now in TV limbo, awaiting to learn its fate from FX execs. The franchise’s first small-screen entry has been a rousing success by and large, with earning praise from Sigourney Weaver, Stephen King and plenty of other genre hounds. Some viewers, however, have been more eager to complain that the show puts more emphasis on the “Earth” than the “Alien.”

As it often goes with horror and sci-fi projects based around beloved iconography, Alien: Earth has bumped against certain audience members for pushing Xenomorphs to the background in order to focus more on Boy Kavalier and other power-hungry corporations, as well as the myriad synths, cyborgs and other not-quite humans milling about. (You know, because the first Alien movie was only Xenomorphs and no humans…or not.)

Creator Noah Hawley spoke with THR about why he ended the season in such a way, and whether or not there are plans for the future, and his explanation also manages to justify why the series isn’t just a giant, saliva-covered alien free-for-all. When asked whether he's allowing for his longterm plan to be influenced by audience responses to Season 1, Hawley answered with:

That's really all the explanation one should need, as it makes total sense. Had Noah Hawley & Co. chosen to go a different and more alien-heavy route with Season 1, all the extra CGI and effects required could very easily have sent the show over budget to the point where FX and Hulu would be unable to renew it without taking a steep financial loss. Already, the series looks expensive as hell, and not just from all the excellent digital work on the eyeball creature and other lifeforms, but also in quasi-recreating the central location from Ridley Scott's 1979 film and all the completely unique settings.

Sure, it may seem naive in retrospect to think that audiences wouldn't want to watch Alien: Earth, but there are few guarantees in today's pop culture, even for high-quality hubs like FX. I doubt all the Powers That Be would have been jumping to spend millions of extra dollars to bring more aliens into it without any confirmation that viewers would show up.

That said, now that the season has been unleashed, and it's clear that there IS a dedicated fanbase out there for the sci-fi thriller, Hawley seems ready to go forward with the story from where he chose to leave things off, saying that despite Wendy & Co. seemingly securing a victory in the end, that everything could change for them in an instant. He continued:

I think another major reason to limit the amount of Xenomorphs and other species is because this first season had to spin a few of the creatures into actual characters, albeit untraditional ones. The eyeball monster quickly became a fan favorite, especially while embedded in the head of that gnarly sheep, and I doubt that would have happened if there were 20-30 of them swinging around.

Similarly, the show had to establish Wendy's communicative connection with the quickly growing Xenomorph, and even with the visual distinctions, it still might have been confusing for viewers to see a variety of phallic-headed beasts stalking about on the island, with only one of them having an actual storyline to fall back on.

I'm also unsure why anyone thinks the Xenomorphs are the most interesting things about the Alien franchise, anyway. They don't talk or do anything particularly interesting beyond mauling people, and having two mouths can only get you so far. So if this show was just weekly episodes of Xenomorphs obliterating random victims without any exposition, I'd certainly still watch, but it wouldn't exactly demand my interest for very long.

Which isn't to say I think the show was perfect, and I'm legitimately still bothered by a gripe I voiced back in the series premiere. But I was probably more impressed with it than any Alien franchise entries since James Cameron's sequel, so consider me a lock for Season 2's viewership.

While Alien: Earth no longer has any new installments for the 2025 TV schedule, stay tuned for any renewal updates, and re-stream all episodes on Hulu and Disney+.

By and large, everyone who’s been watching and talking about Alien: Earth has come away with majority-positive reactions, with loads of praise going to creator Noah Hawley and the show’s massive creative team for their gorgeous efforts. But in the scheme of things, there are only a select few whose opinions really matter for those who’ve been following the Alien movie timeline since the missions began, and scream queen Sigourney Weaver is certainly a big part of that list.

Weaver’s potential return to the role of Ripley aside, her opinions about new canonical projects are always valued by the fandom, since she’s arguably had more experience with the franchise than anyone else. So when she opened up about having watched Alien: Earth, ears were perked. She told Collider:

To her point, pulling this sci-fi narrative away from the saliva-dripping Xenomorphs and putting it more on humanity was a big reason why Noah Hawley wanted to devote himself to this project from the jump. As it goes with most iconic horror properties, the monsters always get the marquee attention, but it's the human elements that make the projects relatable and keep audiences coming back for more. It helps when the human characters aren't just ciphers of archetypes, also, and Alien: Earth definitely has more complex ideas at play.

Weaver specifically pointed out how much she enjoys the show's digging into its core themes, despite not painting humanity in a very positive light. As she put it:

Case in point, the fifth episode was crafted more or less as a full-length prequel companion to Ridley Scott's Alien, with the Maginot ship serving as more or less a mirror image of the Nostromo. It played out with much more of a survival horror vibe than prior episodes, trading a vastness in scope for close-quarters terror, showing off just how much budgetary scope the show is afforded by FX and Hulu.

The show is always noteworthy for putting the focus on Weyland-Yutani and its current execs, rather than having them serve in an overarching antagonistic role as per usual. Having the billionaire genius Boy Kavalier as a separate antagonist only ups the ante, while also keeping greed and selfishness at the forefront. Poor Wendy and the other kids.

Will fans get to see Sigourney Weaver's Ripley making an appearance in Noah Hawley's series? It doesn't seem extremely likely just yet, although A:E takes place just two years before the events of Alien, so there wouldn't need to be any story gymnastics put into place to make it work, even if some deaging CGI would likely come into it.

Alien: Earth drops new episodes every Tuesday on FX or via Hulu subscription at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Alien: Earth episode "In Space, No One..." Stream it with a Hulu subscription, and read at your own risk!

Alien: Earth continued to prove why it's an acid-oozing gem of the 2025 TV schedule with another great episode that evoked the plot, aesthetics and tone of Ridley Scott's original movie. Audiences witnessed the overarching events leading to the Maginot's crash-landing on Earth, with billionaire Boy Kavalier revealed to be responsible for the sabotage in a surprise twist, as he intended all along for it to end up in his territory.

Creator Noah Hawley spoke to THR about the big episode and drilled down on the reveal about Kavalier specifically. I love the larger message he was attempting to convey in subverting the typical tropes we see time and again when it comes to how fictional billionaire tech bosses are portrayed in fiction. Hawley spoke to how that applies to Boy Kavalier, saying:

That last sentence echoed my thoughts episodes prior when Boy used the Hybrids to infiltrate the ship and recover the species intended initially to go to the Weyland-Yutani corporation. That said, he didn't have the heads up about how poorly things went for Ellen Ripley when she took on Xenomorphs in the best sci-fi movie of all time, as this series is set before the Ridley Scott classic.

Noah Hawley mentioned the point brought up by others at Prodigy Corporation when Kavalier suggested infiltrating the ship. The company was already just weeks out from revealing a major update for its immortality project, having successfully transferred the human consciousness into that of a synth. He didn't need to sabotage the ship to pursue another big project just for the sake of sating his curiosity, which the creator says is the whole point there:

The billionaire believes he can do it all, to the point that he's ignoring the obvious red flags with the hybrids as the story continues. Wendy is capable of modifying her programming to do things she was not intended to do. Nibs is claiming she's pregnant and showing signs of violence, and Slightly has Morrow communicating with him inside his mind.

This could all go very wrong, and all at the same time. Perhaps if Boy Kavalier and Prodigy corporation were zeroed in on the hybrids or the species they captured individually, they might have time to get ahead of the impending disaster that seems to be on the way. Hawley likened Kavalier's attitude to that of contemporary, unnamed billionaires, suggesting perhaps that their hand is in too many pots:

Commentary about real-life figures aside, I like that Alien: Earth provides a story in which the potential villain is the billionaire who may be in over his head. It's a great juxtaposition with another famous billionaire in pop culture, Bruce Wayne.

Wayne Enterprises has its hands in things all over Gotham, all for the good of the city, while Bruce simultaneously uses his fortune to masquerade as Batman and protect the city by night. We assume Batman is doing all of this and it's resulting in good, but in reality, would it play out that way?

I think it's even fair to say that the argument could be made that Bruce Wayne is no better than Boy Kavalier, and it reflects in the fact that violent crime never stops in Gotham. And yet, the story doesn't often reflect Wayne as a failure in that it seems Alien: Earth could end up making Kavalier, with his hubris ultimately leading to his downfall. Perhaps Noah Hawley will inspire the plot for The Batman 2!

For now, I'll continue to enjoy Alien: Earth and watch new episodes as they arrive on FX on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. As someone who jumped in, having only watched a few movies before it, I now feel compelled to binge every single movie because I don't want this limited series to end.

For quite a few years now, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans have seen star and co-creator Rob McElhenney — whose official name was changed to Rob Mac earlier this year — seemingly get more and more buff in the post-Fat Mac era, but without many creative outlets to show off his physique in a more action-oriented form of storytelling. Now, it appears that’ll be changing, as he’s set to join his second video game-related series, with his past creation Mythic Quest having joined 2025’s other TV cancellations.

Rob Mac is reportedly set to co-create and co-star in a small-screen video game adaptation of the popular series Far Cry, though the confirmation of said news is currently up in the air thanks to video game publisher Ubisoft. The studio apparently jumped the gun on sharing a press release over the weekend that detailed the new project, as the post was later removed from the site without further insights. But unless this was somehow an elaborate prank or hoax, which seems unlikely, there’s a lot to get excited about here, so let's get optimistic.

Far Cry Is Being Co-Developed By Rob Mac And Alien: Earth Creator Noah Hawley

Despite the post being taken down from Ubisoft's website, the details were noted on Reddit and beyond in the immediate aftermath. The biggest factoid there is that Rob Mac will be co-creating the Far Cry series with another A+ TV brain, that of Fargo and Alien: Earth's Noah Hawley.

If things play out accordingly, Hawley is set to take on showrunner duties for the new show, while Mac's talents will be extended to the front of the cameras. That said, it's unknown what role he'd play, or if that's even been figured out yet.

To be expected from two talents whose careers have been fueled in large part by FX, the Far Cry series is noted as happening at the cable network. It'll be interesting to see what kind of role will be taken by Mac, who was famously supposed to appear in Deadpool & Wolverine before his part was cut.

The Far Cry TV Show Will Apparently Be Dark And Moody, With Anthologized Storytelling

Unlike another one of TV's highly anticipated video game series — I'm referring here to Fallout Season 2 — Far Cry will reportedly go the anthology route with its seasonal storytelling. Meaning whoever Rob McElhenney portrays in the first season likely won't return in the second, which isn't to say that the actor himself won't return. At this early point, it's hard to predict something like that.

Far Cry's standalone stories will definitely be reflective of the source material, however. Since the first game was released in 2004, the franchise has made a point of taking each new game to a different (and dangerous) part of the world, with different (and dangerous) military factions and criminal cabals to defeat across vast and tricky terrains.

Ubisoft's head of film and TV, Margaret Boykin, reportedly shared this statement as part of the iniitial release:

For all that I'm viewing this information with a grain of salt, this sounds like an excellent way for Mac to properly show off what he can do within the action genre. But, like, outside of Always Sunny's controversial Lethal Weapon episodes and that kind of thing. How cool/amusing would it be if he played a different protagonist in each season?

Given his involvement with Welcome to Wrexham and its central ball club, which has turned into a mega-millions investment for the actor and Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac will seemingly be as busy as ever if Far Cry does in fact get an official announcement in the near future.

Here's hoping Danny DeVito and the rest of the gang also join the Far Cry fun in one way or another.

The critics agree that Alien: Earth is a thought-provoking success, and one that brings the vibes of Ridley Scott's OG classic to television in a fantastic way. Even as someone who hasn't seen every Alien movie, I enjoy what Noah Hawley has done with this series, and it's already ranking up there with some of the best sci-fi television I've seen in a long time.

That being said, as a Star Trek fan, its success is making my heart hurt. Don't get me wrong, I love what my beloved franchise is doing so far, and I eagerly await upcoming Trek projects in the future, but damn would it have been nice had executives been able to bring Alien: Earth's creator into the fold when there was a chance.

Alien: Earth's Biggest Triumph Is Bringing Ridley Scott's Alien Aesthetic To Television

For those who haven't checked out Alien: Earth yet, perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay it is how it evokes the aesthetic of the best sci-fi movie of all time without it feeling too dated. Filming with practical effects and using classic methods mixed with modern techniques plays a significant role in that, but describing it can't do it justice. These little things aren't a replacement for a good story, but they do make all the difference in making me love the series that much more when watching.

It's Success Has Me Wondering If Noah Hawley's Trek Movie Could've Done The Same For Its Movies

Based on what I've seen in Alien: Earth and his work in FX's Legion, Noah Hawley is a fan of blending the old with the new. I have to wonder then that if he could've done the same with his pitched Star Trek movie, blending new storytelling ideas alongside the classic aesthetic of film from the TOS era.

I should note that we don't know what Hawley had planned for his Star Trek movie, which ultimately was scrapped. Hawley has said his idea was wholly original, which was part of the reason it was scrapped, with Paramount executives not wanting to diverge too far from its previous projects. We also heard that Cate Blanchett might've been involved, which makes me all the more curious about what this movie could've been.

Could Alien: Earth's Acclaim Convince Paramount To Reconsider Noah Hawley's Trek Movie?

If Alien: Earth continues to captivate audiences and Noah Hawley's successful streak of television continues, does it open the door back up for his Star Trek movie? I want to think so, especially at a time when it feels the company is very deliberate about not greenlighting a lot of content at the moment.

If the Star Trek franchise is looking to bring in someone who has a new vision for how Starfleet and all shows related to it should look, Hawley would be a great choice. That said, I love what Alex Kurtzman has done in his tenure at Paramount+ and all he's done to bring television back, and would also be content with him keeping that position.

I'm fully on board with Paramount hitting Noah Hawley back up about making a Star Trek movie at some point down the line, provided he's not too preoccupied with Alien: Earth. Let's hope the ship hasn't sailed on that opportunity, because I love all that he's doing with the FX series, and I see it enjoying a long life on television if it maintains the quality we've seen so far.

I'm especially on board if he's planning on doing something that incorporates the visual aesthetic of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, or similar movies of that era. I think the franchise as a whole is always so focused on modernizing and updating costumes so vastly that seeing the classic looks could still play today could inspire some real change in the franchise we haven't seen in a while.

We'll see if it ever happens, and continue to enjoy Alien: Earth on FX and Hulu on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Now is the time to catch up for those who haven't had a chance to do so yet, because this is a sci-fi series you don't want to miss.

Alien: Earth has finally crash-landed into our lives after many months of leaving fans awestruck by some of the IMAX-worthy scenes being touted in the trailers. I was stoked to jump in and enjoy one of the biggest shows on the 2025 TV schedule, to the point where my eagerness wasn't hindered by a desire to catch up on each of the franchise entires I'd missed before Noah Hawley's new show arrived.

If you're like me and want to watch the new FX series, but maybe don't want to have to pre-game all nine movies ahead of time, I've got your back. (And I promise not to burst through it.) I only saw a few of the movies ahead of this one, and can confidently say it didn't impact my enjoyment, even if I may not have caught every easter egg on display. Here are some of my takeaways, as well as my level of knowledge about the franchise going in.

How Much Of The Alien Franchise I'd Watched Prior To Alien: Earth

While I've seen Alien and consider it one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, I have admittedly not been a loyalist to the franchise. I've seen Ridley Scott's classic, James Cameron's aces sequel, Prometheus, and that's it. I think I've also seen scenes from Alien vs. Predator here and there, but definitely not enough to claim I've watched the entire movie.

Even after skipping out on the highly acclaimed latest installment Alien: Romulus, I was still destined to check this show out because of creator Noah Hawley. I was a huge fan of what he achieved with FX's Marvel series Legion, also love Fargo. (Not to mention supremely disappointed that his movie with Star Trek never came to be.) My faith in his storytelling helps ease the worries of not being a franchise completist, so anyone feeling the same way is likely also going to enjoy watching Alien: Earth.

Alien: Earth Doesn't Immediately Require Tons Of Lore-knowledge To Get Into

I genuinely believe those who have watched at least a couple of Alien movies are going to be lost watching Alien: Earth. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that it should be an entry point to the Alien franchise, and I'm sure there are references that I've already missed, none of it has been so wild that it's impacted my experience.

Part of this might be due to something frequently touched on by critics in their rave reviews of the FX series. A lot of Alien: Earth is about further fleshing out the universe first established in the movies, and bringing the horror of space to Earth. At its roots, this story is centered around super-powered synths with the minds of children, and we'll learn how they are used to help one trillionaire capture and cultivate the Xenomorphs and other odd creatures we've seen so far.

The first two episodes set the table for what is on the way for the rest of the adventure, and I have to say I am all in so far. I think what I enjoyed the most so far is that the Xenomorph we've seen doesn't seem quite as invulnerable as other movies I've seen, so I'm excited to learn more about that, too.

What Would Be Helpful To Know If You're Completely In The Dark

If you're going into Alien: Earth completely blind, to which I would say at least watch the first movie ahead of this, I still think it's possible to enjoy the show. Most of what you need to know is set up in the first episode, and I think there's an unspoken acknowledgment that Xenomorphs are killing machines you never want to let out of containment or try to manipulate in any way.

Of course, who better to try and underestimate the destructive power of a Xenomorph than an eccentric rich person who feels like they're a god because of their wealth and pursuit of science? While I think Alien: Earth dives into some complex themes and moral questions pretty early on, I think the basic premise of "Dangerous Alien is bad" is enough for someone to watch this without having seen it before.

All that being said, I will add that for those who have never watched an Alien movie, it is an incredibly violent and gory franchise. Even with the practical effects used in the show, it's pretty extreme in terms of blood and not a show for the faint of heart. I would say anyone who is averse to seeing stomachs explode or people cut in half, I don't think you're going to enjoy watching Alien: Earth.

The Surprising Disney Movie You Might Want To Revisit Beforehand

One movie that will be helpful to stream ahead of Alien: Earth, if you happen to have a Disney+ subscription, is Peter Pan. I assumed the show would refer to it when watching the first trailer when the island was noted to be "Neverland," but two episodes in the show tend to lean on making references to it a lot.

It's largely baked into the plot, with the formerly sick children having their consciousness transferred to adult synth bodies. They've been likened to the "Lost Boys," and Prodigy CEO Boy Kavalier is acting as their self-appointed Peter Pan. It doesn't take a genius to see why the world's youngest trillionaire is attracted to this narrative and believes he is the hero in this story.

What becomes of Kavalier ultimately remains to be seen, though one can't help but feel he isn't especially Peter Pan-like, removing a bunch of terminally sick children from their families to heal them under the contingency that they can never return home. There's just something inherently evil about his energy in general across these first two episodes, but maybe he'll subvert expectations and turn out to be a decent guy as Season 1 continues. In any case, watching Peter Pan would probably be the most helpful thing you could brush up on ahead of this Alien: Earth.

Catch new episodes of Alien: Earth on FX on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Catch up on the series, which feels like it has a budget up there with some of the biggest we've seen on television as of late, and I can't wait to see what's coming up in these future episodes.

Slight spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the series premiere of Alien: Earth on FX or via Hulu subscription, so be warned!

Even though fans had wait through an extended hyper-sleep to finally reach Alien: Earth’s highly anticipated premiere on FX and Hulu, it arrived with all of the expected intergalactic pomp, grandeur and acclaim that I’d hoped for. Noah Hawley’s efforts have (at least so far) been well worth the efforts. After just two episodes, I’m nearly ready to call this my favorite horror TV show on the 2025 premiere schedule, months before Stranger Things’ final season arrives.

The new series is shockingly faithful to one of the best horror movies of all time, Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 classic Alien, arriving earlier in the franchise’s complicated timeline than the events that turned Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley into an unforgettable scream queen. Despite the extreme amount of attention to detail on display, however, one premiere scene features a rather baffling mistake that completely took me out of what was an otherwise highly suspenseful moment. And I just don’t understand how nobody pointed it out and fixed it before it aired.

Alien: Earth Nails The Looks Vibes And Set Designs Of Ridley Scott's Alien

Making modern-day prequels to projects from decades past can be a tricky endeavor, since current technology and filmmaking techniques are far advanced compared to past efforts. But Alien: Earth being set just two years before Alien actually words for the show's advantage, with the cleaned-up USCSS Maginot  showing what the Nostromo would have looked like on its best days, just without all of the otherworldly specimens locked behind glass.

The whole opening sequence purposefully mirrored the way the film introduced core characters like Ripley, Dallas and Ash, with everyone gathered around to engage in eating, drinking, smoking and touching base on the mission status. It's wild how none of these new characters are total replicas of the Nostromo crew, but still feel as if they would have all passed each other walking down Weyland-Yutani's hallways or whatever.

The distinct Alien vibes carry over into some of the characters habitating the Prodigy Corporation's Neverland research island, perhaps most notably through Timothy Olyphant's synthetic Kirsh sharing traits with Ian Holm's Ash. This part of the story shares more in common with James Cameron's Aliens in terms of following aggro, gun-toting soldiers, but the way the horrifying leech creatures are introduced is somewhat reminiscent to the gory shock of seeing the facehuggers in action for the first time.

All the superb attention to detail throughout the first two episodes might have made it easier for most to ignore a glaring visual error in the opener, but it unfortunately bugged me enough that I couldn't get it out of my head for the rest of my viewing experience.

How Did This Reflection Mistake Make it All The Way To The Final Edit?

Much like the Nostromo's crew, the first batch of spacefarers we meet in Alien: Earth meet similarly gruesome fates, though it isn't initially revealed how the Xenomorph and other creatures escape their captive states. What's soon made clear, however, is Babou Ceesay's cyborg security officer Morrow is the only survivor left to presumably help take down the numerous deadly threats unleashed by the ship's crash landing.

The scene in which he's alerting the ship's "Mother" about the rest of the crew getting slaughtered is extremely intense, with a gnarly Xenomorph attempting to break into the room. But any excitement and second-hand fear I might have felt during that bit was completely upended by the computer screen's reflection on Morrow's face.

For seemingly logical reason that I can possibly think of, the monitor's "Crew Status: Crew Dead" text is reflected very noticeably off of Morrow's face, but isn't actually mirrored text. The words are just seen forward and normal, and read the same way they do on the screen, as if they were actually bouncing off of another reflective surface before appearing on Morrow's face.

Not the case, though. I even tried to justify it in my head right away, telling myself that Noah Hawley just wanted the "Crew Dead" message to carry over, and that the text was just superimposed on the actor's face. But that wasn't the case either.

How did this premiere get so many sci-fi elements magnificently right, and yet managed to flub it up when it came elementary science? All of that text had to have been added in post-production, since a practical reflection would be backwards, so it's mind-boggling that no one stepped in at any point in the process to say, "Hey, if we're going to add this unnecessary visual, shouldn't we turn it around first?"

Already, I had minor issues with the show's throwback green font being blurrier than necessary when identifying locations and timelines, but at least that's an aesthetic choice, and not an attention-disrupting gaffe. I'll never understand, though, how the premiere made it through so many edits and test screenings and promotional screenings before it landed on FX and Hulu, and the face reflection faux pas survived them all.

I'm cool with Hawley & Co. tweaking certain storyline details to make this storyline work, but have to draw a line when any show asks me to forget how mirrors work. Thankfully, that kind of a mistake can't fully take away from all the other horror and sci-fi excellence on display, even if it sticks in my saliva-slathered craw for far longer than desired.

Alien: Earth drops new episodes every Tuesday on FX and Hulu.

Spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't yet watched Alien: Earth's opening act on FX or with a Hulu subscription.

After having the release of Alien: Earth circled on the 2025 TV premiere schedule, especially after the high praise from critics, I caught the first two episodes on Tuesday evening, and have to say, I was really impressed with its debut. There’s enough to say about Noah Hawley’s Alien series that it would be pretty handy to have a smaller mouth inside of my normal one, despite any inherent communication issues. But what I want to really talk about is why it wasn’t this franchise's Xenomorphs that kept me on edge the most.

Alien: Earth Introduced These Terrifying Ticks That Had Me Shuffling In My Seat

Alien: Earth takes place two years prior to the original Alien movie on the franchise’s timeline, and instantly I felt like I was being transported to Ridley Scott’s original vision as the series started on a Weyland-Yutani deep space research vessel that ultimately crash lands on Earth with at least one Xenomorph and a bunch of other specimens on board. Of course, horrific scenes involving the Xenomorph(which were actually practically shot) were present and accounted for, but it was one of the new alien creatures that had my skin crawling.

We're introduced to these nasty little nightmares that look like ticks. When two Prodigy soldiers come on board after the vessel's crash landing, they are caught and tied up to a pole by Morrow (the cyborg from the ship’s crew). Then enter these bug-like aliens attaching themselves to their veins in the neck and sucking all the blood out of their bodies. As a result, they become much bigger, and these creepy things filled with human blood, and it's just gross and terrifying. Seriously, I want to jump around and swat ferociously at my arms and legs just writing about them.

The ticks aren’t the only new aliens in Alien: Earth, either, even if they're ones that could be hiding in your shoes and cereal boxes, just waiting for your blood. There are quite a few others to learn more about, and I think it’s really smart of the series to up the stakes with unexpected kills from aliens after so many Alien movies.

I'm Especially Stressed About The Group Of Hybrids Introduced In The Premiere Episodes

One of the major strengths of the Alien movies from the beginning has been the commentary on human nature through its science fiction lens. This very much continues in Alien: Earth with the plotline regarding Prodigy’s experiment on “Neverland” research island. In the series, its CEO and trillionaire Boy Kavalier has created a program where a group of kids who had terminal illnesses, like cancer, get a second chance at life through their consciousness transferred into a synthetic body, in a new Alien term called a Hybrid.

I’m absolutely locked in to the storyline of Sydney Chandler’s Wendy, who is the first Hybrid. When her brother, Joe Hermit, becomes part of the rescue team of the vessel, she insists that her and the other Hybrids go to aid in rescue. It wasn’t long in the mission before I started getting anxious about these children being placed in these stressful situations, just because now they are in a form that doesn’t easily break.

I can tell Alien: Earth is going to have me really thinking about what it means to be human as these children-turned-Hybrids continue to run around. There’s already interesting implications around whether they are still “human” or because they are in synthetic bodies, no longer having hormones running through their bodies, if they will become more like Cyborgs or Synths. So long as they stay away from my neck blood, however, we can be copacetic.

Anyway, I’ll definitely be catching the next episode, coming out next Tuesday, but count me satisfactorily stressed over this new entry of Alien already!

The Alien movies make up one of the best horror movie franchises of all time, so there’s no doubt the upcoming horror series Alien: Earth is highly anticipated amongst its fans. The eight-episode TV show was created by Noah Hawley with Ridley Scott serving as an executive producer. It’s set to premiere on the 2025 TV calendar on August 12, and critics have screened the series to help give us an idea of what to expect.

In the Alien movie timeline, Alien: Earth is set two years before the events of the original 1979 film and will not factor the movie’s prequels into its story. The cast is led by Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, mentor to Sydney Chandler’s Wendy, the first human/synthetic hybrid. Brandon Yu of The Wrap praises how Alien: Earth masterfully expands the franchise’s exploration of humanity and writes:

Ben Travers of IndieWire also enjoys Noah Hawley’s statements on humanity, going so far as to say the alien is the least impressive aspect of the sci-fi series. The critic gives it a B and writes:

Clint Gage of IGN gives the Alien: Earth series an “Amazing” 9 out of 10, writing that the show is “an evolution as slick and scary as every good little Xenomorph should be.” Gage continues:

Fred Topel of UPI calls the series “frightening” and “provocative,” writing that once again Noah Hawley has successfully expanded the story of a beloved movie for a small-screen series. Topel says:

Alien: Earth reviews are primarily positive, earning a Certified Fresh 89% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of this writing), but that means there were some critics left wanting. Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm was among those, rating the sci-fi show 5 out of 10. Of the many sins committed by Alien: Earth, according to Evangelista’s review, the biggest is that it’s boring. He writes:

While critics mention plenty of easter eggs for fans of the franchise, you apparently don’t need to have seen the movies to enjoy Alien: Earth. If this sounds like a series you’d like to check out, the first two episodes will premiere at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, August 12, on FX and FX on Hulu, with one episode per week coming each Tuesday after.

When going through the Marvel movies in order, some of the best came from directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame being among the most consequential movies in this franchise, and that last entry once ranked as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Well, evidently their time in the MCU isn’t done just yet, as word came in earlier this week that the Russos are being courted to direct Avengers 5 and 6. Additionally, it’s now been reported that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige turned down some directors with major superhero cred to helm these upcoming Marvel movies.

According to Puck (via ComicBookMovie), while it was previously claimed that many directors turned down the directing the next two Avengers movies given what massive undertakings they’ll be, allegedly Feige wasn’t interested in having directors tied to the Hollywood agency CAA like Noah Hawley and Greg Greg Berltanti, among other unnamed individuals, working on them. While neither of these men are filmmakers on the same cinematic level as the Russos, they’re no stranger to telling onscreen superhero stories.

Noah Hawley’s contribution to the genre came through Legion, the X-Men tie-in series that followed David Haller, the mutant son of Professor Charles Xavier. Legion was met with positive critical reception during its three-season run on FX, and it can be streamed now with a Hulu subscription. Hawley, whose other major credits include Fargo and the upcoming Alien: Earth, also announced at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con that he was writing and directing a Doctor Doom movie, but that project was shelved with Disney acquired 20th Century Fox.

As for Greg Berlanti, he was one of the principal architects of the Arrowverse, i.e. the shared continuity of DC TV shows on The CW like Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl. His other DC TV credits include developing the Max series Titans and being an executive producer on Doom Patrol, Stargirl and Batwoman (another Arrowverse series), among others. Berlanti also co-wrote 2011’s Green Lantern with fellow Arrowverse alum Marc Guggenheim, Michael Green and Michael Goldenberg.

With the exception of Noah Hawley helming 2019’s Lucy in the Sky, as indicated earlier, neither him nor Greg Berlanti have any feature film directing credits. So although they have all that superhero storytelling experience, I could understand why Kevin Feige might not think they’d be a good fit for Avengers 5 and 6, assuming this information is accurate. That said, remember that the Russos were best known for their work on TV shows like Arrested Development and Community before they were tapped to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

So far the only director who’s had any official tie to either of these Avengers movies is Destin Daniel Cretton, who was once slotted to helm Avengers 5, previously known as The Kang Dynasty. However, he exited the project in November 2023, though he’ll continue to contribute to the MCU through Shang-Chi 2 and the Wonder Man series. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Michael Waldron is writing the scripts for both movies.

Avengers 5 is set for release on May 1, 2026, and Avengers 6 (which still has the Secret Wars subtitle) will follow on May 7, 2027. Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for official confirmation about Joe and Anthony Russo boarding these movies or if other directors are hired instead.

Even over halfway through the year, there's still a ton of hoopla surrounding the remaining titles left on the 2024 TV schedule. However, as with any form of entertainment, the future is starting to come into focus; especially for fans of the Alien movies. In the midst of some awards season talk pertaining to the cable powerhouse network FX, the title for Noah Hawley’s Alien series was dropped in conversation. The result is a name that’s left fans annoyed, as well as inspiring me to ask some big questions that need to be answered.

What Alien Fans Have Said About The FX Series’ Title So Far

This news came from a chat between Variety and FX chairman John Landgraf, on behalf of the recent 76th Emmy nominations. In a move that almost feels like the channel’s marketing team trying to soft launch this moniker, Landgraf revealed that Alien: Earth is apparently the title of this upcoming series.

Once that news hit social media, fans started to show their upset through comments like the ones provided below:

• “Yay... Earth... What happened to imagination?” - @RothGamez
• “That’s aweful and to think someone got paid for that!” - @johnthegreenie
• “Maybe they should revisit this discussion.” - @GregPaceOhio
• “On Earth, nothing can hear you Alien.” - @MatWBT
• “AVP Requiem made the mistake of putting the xenomorphs on earth, it's a ridiculous premise that doesn't work.” - @KingofRockk

As a fellow fan of the Alien saga, I have to say I’m right there with these folks in their criticisms. And that’s even in a franchise that once saw James Cameron’s simple pitch to name Aliens with the aid of a dollar sign! Now granted, that film turned out to be an all-time legend, and I really want to know how people reacted to that title in the moment.

But at this phase in the franchise, and based on what we know about Alien: Earth’s cast and storyline so far, pretty large questions start to loom overhead. So let’s put our cards on the table, and dissect those concerns like a Company scientist would a Facehugger.

My Big Questions About The Future Of Alien: Earth

I’m starting to worry if people are going to appoint me the official head of the Alien Complaint Department. Previously I’ve addressed such subjects as my concerns over the Alien: Romulus popcorn buckets we’ll be seeing in theaters. But the questions I have for Alien: Earth are a totally different beast.

My first huge concern has been sitting in front of us the whole time, thanks to our previous rundown of quick facts on Noah Hawley’s Alien series. The title above confirms that yes Ellen, the Xenomorph will supposedly be on our planet.

On one hand, that kind of sounds cool, and gives me flashbacks to that time Alien 3’s teaser trailer promised that “on Earth, everyone can hear you scream.” This is something I'm going to include below, because frankly, it needs to be seen to be believed. Here's that original tease for a movie that eventually didn't go anywhere near Earth:

However, with Alien: Earth set to take place in 2092, 30 years before Alien happened, that would mean that the Weyland Corporation would have had a Xenomorph specimen roughly a year before the Prometheus mission arrived at its final destination. While tracking with Noah Hawley partially ignoring the Alien prequels, this approach makes for a bit of a mess to follow in concert with the franchise at large.

Hawley’s remarks also kind of fly in the face of his previous announcement that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s AI development program would be a focus of Alien: Earth’s story. In his retrofuturism vs. Ridley Scott’s “Apple store technology” argument, that could wreak havoc with the already in-place David/MUTHUR combo we’ve already seen in the series.

Not to mention, in Prometheus canon, we’re still seeing the Weyland Corporation as a singular, pre-merger entity. So unless there wasn’t a long-distance software update to the craft in Ridley Scott’s prequel, something got lost in the shuffle here. I mean, if Disney+ can have a new icon ready to go that embodied a teal color to signify its merging of access with the Hulu subscription, surely this would be a walk in the park?

I could definitely go on about Alien: Earth’s potential problems, but at the end of the day I’m still jazzed to see what’s coming. The FX brass are impressed, and Noah Hawley’s storytelling abilities are well-regarded in the entertainment world.

For now, I’m just going to have to put my concerns aside, and wait for this new Alien story to unfold; hopefully in 2025 on FX. And that's why it’s fantastic that Alien: Romulus will be hitting the 2024 movie schedule on August 16th, as I’m sure that will have a bunch of canon questions attached to its very bloody narrative.

While some may have hoped for Noah Hawley’s Alien series to hit FX during the 2024 TV schedule, that apparently is not the case. With Hawley bracing the world for a potential 2025 run, and shooting taking place through the early part of 2024, mystery still reigns supreme. 

On the other hand, we do know quite a bit about who will be starring in the show, with some of the big players including FX vets like Timothy Olyphant. In honor of the eventual debut of the Alien program being overseen by the creative mind who reinvented Fargo, let’s take a look at the personnel attached. 

What you're about to see is a diverse group of performers who could very well become Xenomorph fodder. And in the case of the first character/actor we're going to discuss, this might not be too much of a threat. 

Timothy Olyphant

FX is known for some of cable’s most iconic dramas and comedies. One of those shows is, without question, the western noir Justified. The castmate that links that series to Alien is none other than Timothy Olyphant. While it’s unconfirmed, Deadline was supposedly told that the Santa Clarita Diet star is playing Kirsh, “a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer” for our next character in the spotlight.

Sydney Chandler

Among the things to know about Noah Hawley’s Alien, we’ve learned that actor Sydney Chandler will be playing a character known as Wendy. Described as a “meta-human … with the body of an adult, but the brain and consciousness of a child,” she may or may not be mentored by Timothy Olyphant’s Kirsh. Chandler has previously been seen playing roles in Don’t Worry Darling, and the FX miniseries Pistol.

Alex Lawther

Another human character involved in Alien is that of a soldier named CJ. Highlighted as the lead male role by Deadline, we don’t really know that much about actor Alex Lawther’s role. However, his resume does spell out potential reasons for his casting, as he had a part in director Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, and has been seen in the Disney+ drama Andor, as well as the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance."

Essie Davis

Sci-fi, horror and fantasy seem to be the wheelhouse for actor Essie Davis. Cast as Alien’s mysterious Dame Silvia, the character almost sounds like a member of an implied ruling class, which fits perfectly with the sorts of people we’ve seen running Weyland-Yutani to this point. Davis is probably best known as the lead in The Babadook, as well as for parts in Game Of Thrones and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

Samuel Blenkin

With a name like Boy Kavalier, and a character description labelling him as “a CEO,” this next character for FX’s Alien sounds like a perfect parody of hot shot types that lead the corporations of today. Seen previously in Peacock’s The Continental, as well as the “Loch Henry” episode of Black Mirror, actor Samuel Blenkin has been casted in this enigmatic-sounding role.

Kit Young

Yes, Shadow and Bone fans, you read this correctly. While the Netflix series has been cancelled, actor Kit Young has found himself snagging the cryptic role of Tootles in Alien. Young was seen playing Jesper Fahey in TV’s Grishaverse adaptation, which sadly was among four Netflix series cancelled in late 2023.

Adarsh Gourav

While one cannot say for sure, actor Adarsh Gourav’s character Slightly sounds like they’d be part of a pair with Kit Young’s Toodles. Of course, this isn’t officially known, but we do know that Gourav has some sci-fi TV cred thanks to his role in Apple TV+’s Extrapolations. 

David Rysdahl

From here on out, we’re unfortunately fresh out of Alien character names. At the same time, the roster for this FX series continues to be rather impressive, continuing with the casting of actor David Rysdahl. Not only has David been seen playing Donald Hornig in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, but he was also a part of Noah Hawley’s Fargo Season 5. Both that, and Rysdahl's role in the streaming original film No Exit, can now be streamed as part of everything new on Hulu.

Babou Ceesay

Through another batch of casting broken by Variety, actors like Babou Ceesay were added to the impressive roster FX’s Alien already boasted. Previous roles on Ceesay’s CV include films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Free Fire, as well as being the lead of Sky Max’s detective series Wolfe.

Jonathan Ajayi

Wonder Woman 1984 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty are both projects that actor Jonathan Ajayi claims as notable titles in his career. And now the Noughts and Crosses star has a spot in the Alien franchise to call his own in the near future.

Erana James

Perhaps best known to worldwide audiences as playing Toni Shalifoe in Prime Video’s The Wilds, Erana James is another cast member shrouded in mystery. James has also been seen in the films Uproar, as well as an uncredited role in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Lily Newmark

A former model-turned-actor, Lily Newmark has some terrific experiences that’ll come in handy when being a part of FX’s Alien series. As a part of the casts for Solo: A Star Wars Story and Sex Education, Newmark’s resume gives her the tools to deal with any up close and personal encounters with people and organisms from other worlds.

Diêm Camille

Diêm Camille has been seen in TV series like The Sommerdahl Murders, and she's also directed herself in projects like the short film Doll. Now that she's been cast as part of Alien's crew of humans potentially waiting to be stalked by science gone horribly wrong, Camille's audience is about to become a lot greater. 

Adrian Edmondson

A legend in britcom history, Adrian Edmonson is probably known best as Vyvyan in the ‘80s classic The Young Ones. Which is why some modern audience members were probably wondering why other moviegoers were wowed by seeing Edmondson in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Now everyone can get together and see what his currently unknown character will be doing in this Alien prequel series.

Moe Bar-El

Our final casting item is that of an unknown, but recurring figure for which Deadline broke the news. Actor Moe Bar-El, fresh off his role as Reece in The Peripheral cast, will now be mixing it up with another sci-fi dystopian universe. Only in this case, one could say the danger factor has been cranked up a couple notches.

And with that, we have the current cast set to star in FX's Alien! With production set to begin soon, if it hasn't already, 2025's TV schedule is going to become a lot more exciting once we have a debut date for this hotly-anticipated series. So keep checking in to see what new updates head our way in the meantime, as this universe only stands to become even larger.

The Alien franchise, as created by Ridley Scott, has been carried on by several other filmmakers and revisited by Scott himself. And, because of that, it's reached the point where the mythology has become dense with information and history relating to the Xenomorph, its origins and actual goals. With both a new TV series from Noah Hawley and a new Alien film on the horizon, more is about to be added to the story. However, Hawley revealed that his small-screen production won't utilize material from Scott's prequel films, and he's explained just why.

While speaking with THR, the Fargo producer explained that he, in conversation with Ridley Scott, has decided not to include Prometheus as part of his series. He says he ultimately finds the concept of the Xenomorph origin, as explained there, “less interesting” than the ideas that were presented in the first film. He said:

There’s an element of science fiction, as created in the past, that -- due to the limitations of the time -- meant that even the future didn’t necessarily look all that advanced compared to the present. Space travel was possible, but it partially relied on monochrome computer screens with bad resolution. 

As the Alien franchise, or any similar ongoing sci-fi adventure, moves forward, technology improves. This means that a movie like Prometheus -- which takes place prior to the events of the franchise's original 1979 film and was made decades later -- looks more advanced than what would come later in the story’s chronology. Noah Hawley says that doesn’t match with his vision for the series. He continued: 

While the topic of the best movie is hotly contested, the last two Alien franchise has seen some troubles, as the most recent films weren’t as warmly received as others have been. So the fact that they won’t be major parts of the new series may be good news to a lot of fans. The first two movies in the series are seen by many as some of the best sci fi movies ever. And there’s no reason that a new Alien franchise entry needs to deal with that information. Depending on where and when it's set, those details can easily be irrelevant to a story about a group of people fighting monstrous extraterrestrials and trying to stay alive -- and mostly losing.  

Noah Hawley's Alien show likely won't be a part of the 2024 TV schedule, but keep your eyes peeled for updates on the FX production.

If all goes according to plan, 2024 should be a rich year for fans of the Alien franchise. In August, Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus is scheduled to arrive in theaters, and after years of waiting, Noah Hawley's Alien TV series is finally scheduled to go into production. In regards to the latter, there are still a lot of mysteries lingering, but the most recent comments about it from star David Rysdahl instantly make me curiouser about how the show is going to add to the existing canon.

The actor recently spoke with TV Insider about what's being cooked up for the first small screen adventure featuring the iconic xenomorphs, and Rysdahl linked the work that's being done on the upcoming science-fiction show with what Noah Hawley has been doing for the past few years with the critically beloved FX series Fargo. Speaking to how the Alien series will be a part of the larger franchise, he said,

David Rysdahl has a key supporting role on Fargo Season 5, so he is certainly speaking as an authority.

Fans of the FX show will note that the TV series Fargo has a very special relationship with the 1996 movie on which it is based. The series, which unfolds as a season-to-season anthology, features plot elements, settings, and characters that connect to the original feature from Joel and Ethan Coen, but it is also set within the same continuity. Adding in extra layers, it also regularly riffs on all of the movies in the Coen brothers' filmography, from Miller's Crossing and Blood Simple to The Hudsucker Proxy and The Big Lebowski.

The way in which Fargo weaves all of those threads together is marvelous to behold, and the idea of Noah Hawley cooking up something similar for his Alien series is practically mouth-watering.

Set to star in the show alongside Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Timothy Olyphant, and Kit Young (as a character named "Tootles"), David Rysdahl seems to be beside himself regarding his opportunity to be in Alien. He explained in the recent interview,

Both Alien and Aliens are titles among the best sci-fi movies of all time, so there's a big legacy to live up to, but everything we've heard about the show instills confidence.

We may not end up seeing Alien premiere on FX in the next 12 months, but if you're curious about all of the programming set to show up this year, check out our 2024 TV Schedule.

While the TV side of the Star Trek franchise has been thriving for over half a decade now thanks to the various shows available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, the same can’t be same for the film side. The last Star Trek movie, Star Trek Beyond, came out in 2016, and Star Trek 4 remains stuck in development hell. At one point, Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley was tapped to direct a Star Trek movie, and now that he’s opened up about how the project got scrapped, I’m disappointed that Paramount Pictures took this course of action.

Hawley has prior experience from leaving his stamp on major franchise from the TV show Legion, which delved into stranger corners of the X-Men property. He’s now in the midst of putting together an Alien series, which will stream to Hulu subscribers, and he noted how when FX approached him for the job, he was asked to do his version of Alien, not just something standard, cookie cutter, etc. This led to him recalling how his Star Trek movie was set aside, saying to THR:

As I’ve already said, it’s not like the Star Trek film series has been in the strongest place lately, so the fact that Paramount executives were allegedly this picky over what Noah Hawley planned to with the franchise is frustrating. For one thing, Hawley has said that his Star Trek movie wasn’t intended to be a Star Trek Beyond follow-up starring the Kelvin timeline’s Enterprise crew, but rather spotlight a new group of characters. Sure, there’s a certain tone that needs to be kept in a Star Trek project, but if you’re exploring a corner of this universe that doesn’t involve established characters, shouldn’t you be afforded the freedom to tell that story, especially if your franchise is struggling in the cinematic space?

Well, evidently Paramount felt that it wasn’t worth doing this, and by the end of 2020, Hawley’s Star Trek movie essentially faded away. It’s a shame, because with Paramount+’s Star Trek shows covering so much territory, Hawley’s movie could have been a cool way to get more experimental with this franchise. After all, the Kelvin-timeline movies took on a more action-y vibe to spice up this franchise for a new generation, so why couldn’t Hawley’s movie have done the same, and those looking for more traditional Star Trek stories, albeit filtered through a more modern lens, could go on Paramount+.

In any case, Hawley’s left Star Trek behind him, and now he plans to start filming his Alien series early in 2024. As for Star Trek 4, it remains to be seen whether it will once again focus on the Kelvin timeline’s Enterprise crew or if we might be getting another reboot. We’ll keep you apprised when more information comes on, but for now, look at the upcoming Star Trek TV shows lined up, as well as the 2023 release schedule and 2024 release schedule to learn what movies are on the way. 

At nearly 45 years old, the Alien franchise remains the pinnacle of sci-fi horror, having produced plenty of iconic characters and creatures that remain influential to this day. Some of my personal favorite touches within these worlds are the names of these heroes, villains, androids and beyond. And I’m pleased as punch that Noah Hawley’s upcoming FX project, the first TV series set in this universe, is going hard on that element in ways I can only approve of giddily. 

Its newest cast member was revealed to be Kit Young, of Shadow and Bone and The School for Good and Evil, and Deadline reports he’ll be taking on the role of…wait for it… 

Has anyone really lived without an Alien project that features a fully grown adult hollering out "TOOTLES!" in a manner that's both stern and worried? I should say not.

Not much at all is actually known about the character, though that doesn't affect my enthusiasm in the slightest. It's stated that Kit Young joined the show later than the rest of the cast. But since filming in Thailand was shut down in connection with the SAG-AFTRA strike, it's unknown when we'll learn more about ol' Tootles, though it's stated that Young has a one-year contract that won't impede him from starring in Shadow and Bone if Netflix orders up Season 3.

In the meantime, let's celebrate this moniker joining the other character names that were previously reported on, as noted below, along with the actors playing them.

• Tootles (Kit Young)
• Dame Silvia (Essie Davis)
• Slightly (Adarsh Gourav)
• Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin)
• CJ (Alex Lawther)

And let's be clear here: even though Alex Lawther's soldier is rocking the seemingly normal name of CJ, you just know the initials stand for something baffling, like "Cleeco Namboochi" or "Clown Nards" or something. Maybe it's an in-universe reference like "Clemens Newt."

Filming for the Alien series kicked off in mid-July in Bangkok, with its progress unimpacted by the WGA writers strike, as all of the scripts were finalized months prior. But it started up without its star Sydney Chandler, who is part of SAG-AFTRA and was unable to film after that strike began. A month of filming was completed with other cast members, with a reported risk of breach-of-contract lawsuits for anyone who aimed to walk off the set to side with American guild members.

The filming break is apparently a planned one meant to incorporate strike-related delays, with the cast sent home on August 25. Meanwhile, crew members remain busy working on building up and preparing sets to get right back into work one the strikes are resolved, with that outcome hopefully happening sooner rather than later . After all, the world needs its Tootles and CEO Boy Kavalier, dammit.

The Noah Hawley-created Alien series will ideally hit FX at some point in 2024, with episodes also available to stream with a Hulu subscription. And with all of the Alien films streaming in some capacity or another, there's enough outer-space chaos to keep us all busy at least through the weekend, if not the next year and a half.

The TV side of the Star Trek franchise is back in working order thanks to shows like Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks and Prodigy, but we haven’t been treated to a movie since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. That finally looks to be changing due to a Star Trek movie bringing back the crew of the Kevin timeline’s Enterprise being scheduled for late 2023, but for a while, it looked like a separate movie being developed by Noah Hawley could have moved forward. To that end, apparently  the Fargo and Legion showrunner was looking to have his Star Trek movie star Cate Blanchett.

This information comes from Star Wars Insider and Fangoria contributor Brandon Wainderdi, who said on Twitter that he attended an event where Noah Hawley was speaking and signing books. During the event, he apparently let slip that he was planning to bring Cate Blanchett onto his Star Trek movie, although he didn’t divulge any details about what her role would have been. 

Although Cate Blanchett has spent a fair amount of time in the fantasy realm through movies like the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Thor: Ragnarok, aside from the upcoming Borderlands film adaptation, she hasn’t done any deep diving into the sci-fi genre. Being the lead actor in a Star Trek movie could have rectified that, and Noah Hawley has said that his feature would have featured new characters rather than bring back Chris Pine’s James Kirk and the rest of the gang we’ve followed along with on the big screen since 2009’s Star Trek. So right off the bat, it’s easy enough to envision Blanchett playing the captain of a Starfleet vessel, or really any kind of authoritative figure.

Alas, Noah Hawley’s Star Trek movie didn’t get the greenlight from Paramount Pictures, so unless the writer/director is will to disclose more details about what he had planned, we’ll likely never know how Cate Blanchett fit into the picture. At least Hawley’s Star Trek movie isn’t the only Star Trek Beyond follow-up project collecting dust in this franchise. It joins the movie Quentin Tarantino was working on with The Revenant writer Mark L. Smith that was inspired by The Original Series’ gangster-themed episode “A Piece of the Action,” as well as the movie S.J. Clarkson was once on board to direct that would have seen Chris Pine’s Kirk meeting his father, Chris Hemsworth’s George Kirk, who died shortly after his son was born in the Kelvin timeline.

Now the plan is for the unofficially-titled Star Trek 4 to be directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, who’s working off a script that’s being rewritten by Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires. Paramount Pictures announced that Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Karl Urban, John Cho and Simon Pegg were in talks for Star Trek 4, though this reportedly came as a surprise to the actors, as they hadn’t even known this movie has made significant progress forward. Star Trek 4 is slated for December 22, 2023.

As for Noah Hawley and Cate Blanchett, the former is still working on Fargo and also has the Alien series coming up, while the latter is lending her voice to Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion Pinocchio movie and will play Lilith in the aforementioned Borderlands. Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more updates on Star Trek 4’s progress and news on other upcoming movies.

In the near future, Noah Hawley will deliver Alien: Earth to the world, a prequel series to the landmark sci-fi franchise that could very well become one of the best shows on Hulu. The FX on Hulu series will come out in a time when the property is at a level of popularity not seen in years, thanks in part to the box office success of Alien: Romulus, and it sounds like it will have something for diehard fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Below is a breakdown of everything we know about Alien: Earth including its possible release window, its expansive cast, and how writer, director, and showrunner Noah Hawley plans to make the show feel right at home with some of the best sci-fi movies directed by Ridley Scott and James Cameron. Let’s take a look at the series that will soon be available for anyone with a Hulu subscription. 

What Is The Alien: Earth Premiere Date?

As much as we would love to see Alien: Earth on the 2024 TV schedule, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a premiere date until some point in 2025. This is based on comments showrunner Noah Hawley has made in the past, like the time he told The Wrap in November 2023 that he was aiming for “the first half of ‘25.” However, FX hasn’t come out and provided any concrete information on when we’ll see the highly anticipated series at this time.

The Alien: Earth Cast

Though Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley won’t be part of the story when Noah Hawley’s show arrives in the near future, the Alien: Earth cast looks impressive, to say the least. Let’s meet them now.

Sydney Chandler as Wendy

According to Deadline, Sydney Chandler will be leading the Alien: Earth cast as Wendy, a woman with the body of an adult but the brain of a young child. Chandler’s previous credits include Sugar, Pistol, and Don’t Worry Darling.

Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh

Timothy Olyphant will be taking on the role of Kirsh, a synthetic human who helps guide and train Wendy. In addition to leading the Justified cast, Olyphant has also appeared in Deadwood, Santa Clarita Diet, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, among others.

Alex Lawther as CJ

What would an Alien show be without some near-future soldiers in the mix? Well, the Alien Earth cast won’t have to worry about that as Alex Lawther is set to play a soldier named CJ. Star of The End of the Fucking World and Andor, Lawther has also appeared in The Imitation Game and The Last Duel.

Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier

Samuel Blenkin is set to portray Boy Kavalier, a CEO figure, in the new show. Blenkin’s previous credits include The Continental, Black Mirror, and Atlanta.

Essie Davis as Dame Silvia

Essie Davis will play a mysterious character named Dame Silvia in Alien: Earth. Davis, who is best known for her intense performance in The Babadook, has also appeared on shows like Game of Thrones and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

Adarsh Gourav as Slightly

Adarsh Gourav is set to play a character known as Slightly. Before joining the cast, Gourav appeared on shows like Hostel Daze, Extrapolations, and Guns & Gulaabs.

Kit Young as Tootles

Kit Young will appear in the Alien: Earth cast as Tootles. Young previously appeared on Endeavour and Shadow and Bone.

What Is Alien: Earth About?

When Alien: Earth premieres, it will instead be set on Earth at some point near the end of the 21st century, which would have it taking place around the same time as Prometheus (2089 - 2093) on the Alien timeline and many years before the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien. However, specific plot details about the series have not yet been revealed by FX.

The Earth setting was first confirmed in a December 2020 tease by the official Disney Twitter account that also revealed that the show would take place “not too far in the future.” FX Chairman John Landgraf gave further confirmation and clarification at a Television Critics Association event in February 2022 (via The Hollywood Reporter), where he stated the series would be set “70-odd years” from now, which would be around 2093 (same as Prometheus).

With the show taking place on Earth, it will focus on the corporations that were always in the background of the movies. In a January 2022 interview with Esquire, Noah Hawley explained that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is developing AI... but what about other corporations? What are they working on? 

The Alien: Earth Trailer

Four years after the show was first announced, we finally got a look at Alien: Earth in September 2024 when FX released a brief (and we mean brief) teaser trailer. Clocking in at 15 seconds, the short video didn't provide many details about the upcoming series, but it did show off a terrifying xenomorph staring at Earth.

This is remarkable, as outside of the Alien vs. Predator movies, none of the films in the franchise have been set on Earth (the closest being the early space station scenes from Aliens). But expect to hear more in the coming months when a proper (and longer) trailer makes its way to the internet.

Alien Director Ridley Scott Is Serving As One Of The Show’s Executive Producers

Ridley Scott – the man who helped launch the franchise 45 years ago – is serving as one of the show’s executive producers. Scott’s involvement was revealed by Variety in December 2020, and since then, it sounds like he’s been instrumental in the development process alongside showrunner Noah Hawley. 

In a November 2021 interview with the BBC, Scott explained that they were in the process of writing a pilot for the upcoming series but didn’t say what it entailed. During the same interview, the Academy Award winner also talked about the announced Blade Runner series. Expect to hear more on both shows in the very near future. 

Noah Hawley Has Said He Made A Choice When Developing Alien: Earth: ‘Retro-Futurism Or Prometheus’

We’ve known for a while that Alien: Earth will look and feel like it’s part of the classic Alien movies after FX Chairman John Landgraf made comments about the show during the 2021 TCA event (via Deadline), in which he said it would be in line with those early films, but we didn’t know what that meant for some time. That changed in June 2024 when Noah Hawley told Deadline about a choice he made early on:

Fans of practical effects, like those used in Alien: Romulus, will feel right at home when Alien: Earth premieres, especially if Hawley managed to bring back all the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of those Scott and James Cameron films.

Production On Alien: Earth Wrapped In July 2024

It shouldn’t be too much longer before we get a first look at some Alien: Earth footage, as production has already wrapped up. In July 2024, Noah Hawley told Variety that principal photography had already wrapped, but there was still much work to be done, stating:

One part of that sticks out in that quote is Hawley’s comment about “four of the eight hours of director cuts,” which leads us to think the first season of the new sci-fi TV series will be anywhere from eight to 10 episodes depending on the length of each installment. 

There Could Be Multiple Seasons Of Alien: Earth In The Future

Though many fans would be happy just for a one-and-done series, it’s beginning to sound like we’ll be seeing much more of Alien: Earth in the years to come. When speaking about the series during a July 2024 interview with Variety, FX chief John Landgraf had a very telling answer when asked when fans could expect to see the next season of Noah Hawley’s Fargo anthology series, stating:

The “returning television series” portion of those comments could mean we’ll be seeing much more of Alien: Earth at some point in the future. And as cool as it would be for the Season 1 story to carry on into the next chapter, it would be equally as awesome for Hawley to tell a different tale each time around.

Expect to hear much more about Alien: Earth in the weeks and months to come. But in the meantime, there are plenty of upcoming sci-fi movies on the radar that look promising.

There aren’t a ton of ongoing science-fiction horror franchises in modern Hollywood, but that may be because Alien already did it about as good as anyone could. Ridley Scott’s seminal 1979 classic has spawned several sequels and influenced generations of filmmakers, and the universe will soon boast a streaming television series as well. Though the famed director won't be working on the series directly, Scott recently spoke about the latter and shared a hilariously blunt thought about Noah Hawley’s upcoming small-screen project. 

Ridley Scott spoke to The Independent about a litany of topics, and while he wasn’t willing to talk about the highly anticipated Gladiator 2, he did offer his thoughts on the upcoming Alien television show. When asked about it, Ridley gave a grinning response, perhaps indicating his statement was intended to be as cheeky as it was fiery. 

A hilarious response from Ridley Scott, because what can be said to that? Alien is undoubtedly a cinematic classic, and is still considered such decades after its release. Noah Hawley’s series would need to pull off some pretty incredible storytelling, character building and effects work during its run to even enter the same neighborhood of the mothership film's acclaim. Even if it did all that, it would 100% be debatable which one is truly better. 

Given Alien's legend status, It’s hard to take Ridley Scott’s comments as legitimately offensive or truly mean-spirited in regards to the Alien television reboot. After all, Scott didn’t just direct the original Alien, he also returned to the franchise to direct Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. If this were purely about filmmaking pride or something of that nature, Scott would probably mention the full body of his franchise contributions and not just the first movie. Plus, Scott is a lover of the big screen, so perhaps a bit of the snark comes from Alien’s transition to a television format in and of itself, even if he'd likely share the same thought about James Cameron's Aliens sequel. 

Ridley Scott’s thoughts aside, there’s still not a ton we know about Noah Hawley’s Alien series, which is expected to debut sometime in 2023. The series will take place on Earth with a near-future timeline, and the character Ellen Ripley will not be involved at this point. With only that much information for the fanbase to go on, it's hard to know if Scott has more insider info about where the story will go, or if he's making vague predictions like anyone else would. 

Regardless of Ridley Scott’s comments, Noah Hawley’s Alien series will remain a hotly anticipated project mainly because of what he’s delivered to date. Hawley’s television adaptation of Fargo has earned 55 Emmy nominations with 6 wins so far, and Legion is another great example of just how creative he can get with episodic storytelling. The quality of those projects obviously does not guarantee that Alien would fare the same just because of Hawley's creative involvement, but the novelist and showrunner's track record with critically acclaimed television speaks for itself, so perhaps he can inject fresh ideas into a franchise like Alien in ways no one else has before him.

As mentioned, the Alien reboot is expected to arrive via FX on Hulu sometime in 2023. That’s still a long enough way away for plenty of things to change, so be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for any and all updates on the series. For more on the Alien franchise, read what one star had to say on whether or not Ridley Scott will ever make another sequel to the franchise.

The first time that Andy Samberg and screenwriter Andy Siara teamed up, the end result was last year's Palm Springs – one of the most entertaining new releases of 2020 and an excellent spin on the time loop sci-fi subgenre. That in mind, the news that they are once again teaming up to make another film is exciting all by itself – but what makes it vastly more exciting is that this time around the awesome talents of Ben Stiller, Noah Hawley, and Raphael Bob-Waksberg are also involved.

Details about the project are being kept very hush-hush at the moment, but The Hollywood Reporter says that the movie is already set up for distribution and production at Apple Studios. It's described as a "sci-fi comedy-drama," with the original idea coming from Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who is best known for creating Netflix's incredible original series Bojack Horseman. Andy Samberg will both be starring in the film and producing it, while Andy Siara is handling screenwriting duties. As for Ben Stiller and Noah Hawley (creator of the brilliant FX series Fargo and Legion), their involvement presently is as producers, with both of their respective shingles backing the project.

The untitled project doesn't currently have a director attached, though the search is on to find the filmmaker who will be the right fit, and the trade says that we'll get an update in "the coming months."

It's a great development to see for all involved, but particularly for Andy Samberg, who didn't have the most luck when it came to live-action feature projects prior to the release of Palm Springs. His two previous movies as a leading man, Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Stopping, are hilarious, but sadly they both failed to make any kind of box office impact. Admittedly Palm Springs didn't sell a ton of tickets either, but that's only because it premiered as a Hulu exclusive. In contrast to his big screen features, the comedy was a massive hit for the streaming service, and broke records this summer.

Palm Springs was additionally a massive breakout for Andy Siara, as it was actually the first feature screenplay he got produced. He was previously a staff writer on the underrated AMC series Lodge 49. Based on those credits, it definitely seems like he has the right sensibilities to expand an idea from Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who brought Bojack Horseman to an end last year, and also co-created the trippy Amazon original series Undone.

Ben Stiller will next be back on your screens this Friday thanks to his small role in Doug Liman's new HBO Max film Locked Down, but he's kept much more active as a producer in recent years. The majority of the projects are for television, such as the 2018 miniseries Escape At Dannemora and the CW series In The Dark, but he also has some features in the works, including the upcoming comedy Queenpins starring Kristen Bell, Vince Vaughn, Joel McHale, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste.

Noah Hawley, meanwhile, has also been exceptionally busy. In addition to Fargo airing its fourth season on FX in 2020, he has also been working on a new Star Trek film, and it was announced this past fall that he is going to be writing a new series set in the Alien universe.

As noted above, that's a lot of awesome talent coming together to work on a single film, and just with this announcement it has instantly grabbed our attention. Hopefully we get more updates soon, and we'll keep you posted on the project's development!

After pretty much a year going by with little to no announcements concerning the future of Disney and its library of brands, the House of Mouse came out swinging at the Investor Day event in December 2020, revealing a staggering number of new film and television projects, including more Star Wars and Marvel content than anyone ever thought was possible. One thing that seems to have slipped between the cracks, however, is the upcoming FX Alien series based on the franchise kickstarted by screenwriter Dan O’Bannon and director Ridley Scott more than 40 years ago.

So, what’s the deal with the Alien television series, and what can we expect from this exciting and potentially universe-expanding horror series? Well, we already know that Legion and Fargo creator Noah Hawley is spearheading the project and that it will eventually air on FX (and Hulu through that amazing setup), but when in the timeline will it take place, will the Xenomorphs play into the show, and will Ellen Ripley (or a relative of some sort) be involved in some way. These are all the questions that we have been thinking about since the big reveal.

Will The Alien TV Series Be A Prequel To The Movie Franchise?

When the Alien FX series was first announced in December 2020, the official Disney Twitter account posted a message containing the show’s title card and a very brief description that basically said the show would be set not too far in the future and would take place on Earth. That doesn’t really give us much to work with, but it does give us nearly endless possibilities in terms of when they show will take place and if it will serve as a prequel to the film franchise.

Going off of CinemaBlend’s Alien timeline, 2012’s Prometheus (the first movie chronologically) takes place starting in 2089 with the discovery of a star map that eventually takes the crew of the ill-fated ship off into the far reaches of space. The new FX series could very well take place prior to the discovery of that map and the space travel project orchestrated by the Weyland Corporation. And, if that’s the case, the show could focus on the corporation, which was founded in 2012 (in the franchise’s timeline, anyway).

Will The Xenomorphs Play Into The Show?

Sure, the Xenomorphs are a crucial component of all the Alien movies (even Prometheus), but will they actually play into the events of the FX series? If we’re going with the “set not too far in the future” angle teased in the Disney tweet, it could meant that the events of the show would all take place decades prior to the crew of the Prometheus discovering life on LV-223 and the Nostromo and most of its crew meeting their deaths on LV-426. What if the show actually focuses on the Engineers instead of the Xenomorphs this time around?

Will The Series Focus More On Horror Or Action?

The Alien franchise has been all over the place in terms of tone throughout its history, with everything from classic horror (1979’s Alien) to over-the-top action (1986’s Aliens) being featured at one point or another. That being said, will the new FX series lean more towards the classic monster angle of Ridley Scott’s vision or the high-octane James Cameron model? There’s a case to be made for both, considering the line at the end of the Disney tweet reading “scary thrill ride,” but what exactly does that mean? It could be a combination of the two, and considering Noah Hawley’s work on Legion that very well could be a possibility moving forward.

What Makes The Show Any Different From The Alien Vs. Predator Movies?

With talk of Alien movies being set on Earth in a not far off future, it begins to sound a lot like the Alien vs. Predator movies released in the early years of the 21st Century. So, what about the FX series will make it different from those two action flicks? Will it be more similar to the other movies outside of those two and avoid some of the more over-the-top action sequences and play more like a horror film? There is one big difference, however, and that is the lack of predators as seen in that pair of movies. Wait, the show doesn’t feature predators...right?

How Many Episodes Will Make Up The First Season?

There is a valid question to be asked about the total number of episodes that will be featured in the first season of the Alien FX series (or the entirety of the show if its a limited series), and we can look back at the number of episodes that have made up the various seasons of shows of Noah Hawley's like Legion and Fargo. Each of the first three seasons of Fargo consisted of 10 episodes, while the fourth season came in at 11. Legion, on the other hand, had two seasons consisting of eight episodes apiece (Season 1, Season 3) with the second season having 11 episodes.

Taking those numbers into consideration, we could probably see anywhere from eight to 10 episodes of the Alien show, which honestly would be the perfect amount to tell a well-crafted and paced story.

Will Ridley Scott Direct Any Of The Episodes?

When the Alien FX series was first announced, Variety reported that Ridley Scott (whose career is almost tied to the franchise at this point) would be serving as one of the show’s executive producers alongside Noah Hawley. But what if this is more than just another executive producer credit next to Scott’s name? Could he be coming on to direct an episode or two? It would make sense considering the fact that Scott directed the first two episodes of the HBO Max original sci-fi drama Raised by Wolves. Speaking off which…

Could Alien Ever Cross Over With Raised By Wolves?

This one is extremely out there (even when listed among questions about a series based on a far-reaching sci-fi horror franchise), but let’s get into it. Is there a possibility that the Alien show has some kind of cross over with Raised by Wolves? In an interview with SyFy.com, Aaron Guzikowski, the creator and lead writer of the HBO Max original series, explained that the show is a “close cousin” of Alien but that the mythologies don’t link up. You could argue that Guzikowski is shutting down fan theories that the properties are connected, but the Alien franchise is often a place with changing tunes.

Will Any Of The Characters From The Movies Show Up?

What about any of the characters featured in any of the previous Alien movies? Will they be featured or at least make a cameo at some point in the new show? Depending on when the series takes place, we could possibly see anyone from Peter Weyland all the way to Ellen Ripley, though that would be stretching the “not so far future” as mentioned in the Disney tweet from when the show was announced. Ideally, it would be nice to have the main focus on new characters from within the Alien universe, but who knows, a series based on the exploits of Paul Reiser’s Carter J. Burke from Aliens wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen.

Is Alien The Show’s Final Title?

And then, finally, what about the title? Will it remain as simple as Alien or will Noah Hawley and Ridley Scott come up with a subtitle to foreshadow what will happen throughout the series? It would certainly make it easier to talk about the show and original movie without becoming a confusing mess, but we are talking about a franchise that (at times) has found itself becoming a confusing mess of convoluted dialogue and storytelling. They could go with something like Alien: The TV Show, but that doesn’t really have a nice ring to it.

Those are some of the questions we have concerning the Alien television series. What are your thoughts on the show and do you have similar questions? Make sure to sound off in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out CinemaBlend’s Winter/Spring 2021 TV Release guide for all the latest on new and upcoming shows.

Although Star Trek has gone boldly where it’s never gone before on the streaming front with CBS All Access’ breadth of television shows on the premium platform since 2017. Shows such as Picard, Discovery and Lower Decks may be filling a void for Trekkies, but we have yet to see another Star Trek movie on the big-screen since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.

Paramount is reportedly still developing another Star Trek movie after rumors spread that the franchise is ending over at the studio. There’s been word of a number of Star Trek projects in the works, but time will tell which one’s see the light of day. Jonathan Frakes, who famously played Picard’s No. 1 Riker and directed a handful of Trek movies and TV episodes has shared his thoughts about how Paramount should move forward. In his words:

Sounds good to me. Jonathan Frakes is referring to two different Star Trek projects that we’ve heard about over the years, but have either fallen through or have been shelved at an office somewhere. Quentin Tarantino has shown interest in directing a script from The Revenant co-writer about an original series episode called “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Noah Hawley of FX’s Legion and Fargo series was hired at some point to continue the Star Trek franchise as well.

Jonathan Frakes’ response to TrekMovie is a logical one. Both these filmmakers are obviously incredible and Star Trek would be lucky to have them on board. Why wouldn’t the studio have them signed and committed already for their visions stumps us all, though Paramount has dealt with some restructuring since it found itself a new Head of Motion Pictures earlier this year.

Jonathan Frakes got his start on Star Trek: The Next Generation back in 1987 when the series started and has since remained a key figure to the franchise since. The actor also directed a number of episodes on the series and Deep Space Nine and Voyager before helming a string of Next Generation movies. Frakes is still involved in Star Trek, recently directing and guest starring in episodes of Picard along with being behind the camera on Discovery. Delving into his thoughts on the Star Trek movies further, Frakes said this about the other dropped project that involved Chris Hemsworth:

From what we heard, Chris Hemworth was set to reprise his role as Kirk’s father for a time twisting Star Trek 4 alongside Chris Pine and the Enterprise crew we know and love including Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana. But it was issues with pay cuts that reportedly caused that project to fall through. Chris Pine, Quinto and Simon Pegg have all recently shown interest in returning to the fold for another Star Trek film should Paramount decide to resume where they left off for 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. What do you think? Which Star Trek film do you want to see the most? Vote in our poll below.

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While the television component of landmark sci-fi series Star Trek is chugging along on its own tracks to progress, the movies have stalled out to a point where there’s no clear direction forward. And that path is about to become a bit muddier, as cast member Simon Pegg isn’t of the opinion that the newly announced Noah Hawley written and directed project that’s been pushed as Star Trek 4 will be just that.

As he theorized during a recent interview, Simon Pegg provided this insight on how he sees the current state of the Star Trek franchise. Here's what he said when asked if he had any part in writing Star Trek 4:

For those keeping score at home, the Star Trek movie universe has a couple of plates it’s been spinning in the years since Star Trek Beyond marked the last adventure of the Federation’s most intrepid crew and vessel in 2016. In the years that have followed, several ideas and helmers have come and gone in the universe that’s centered around Chris Pine’s Captain James T. Kirk and the crew he’s teamed up with on the USS Enterprise.

Originally, Star Trek 4 was going to be a time travelling adventure, which would see Chris Pine’s Kirk finally meet his dead father, Chris Hemsworth’s George. Eventually, negotiations would break down, seeing Hemsworth and Pine’s salaries putting that particular take on the future of Star Trek into the dustbin.

Fast forward to this very moment, where previously hired director S.J. Clarkson has been let go, Fargo and Legion mastermind Noah Hawley has been courted to write and direct his own Star Trek film that may or may not be the fourth in the series, and that Quentin Tarantino-helmed Trek film is still a going concern for the time being.

All of this factors into Simon Pegg’s further assessment of the current state of the franchise, as the man who once said that Tarantino would probably never direct his own Star Trek film is much more optimistic about his chances here and now:

Strangely enough, Quentin Tarantino himself is the one that’s now pessimistic on his Star Trek coming to life, but even he admits that the conversations needed to proceed or rule out this possibility haven’t taken place yet. But as you can see in Simon Pegg’s talk with Gold Derby, nothing is clear cut about the future of Gene Roddenberry’s historic sci-fi juggernaut.

We’ll have to wait and see what Paramount says and/or does in terms of official statements to the future of Star Trek’s future. Whether it’s Noah Hawley, Quentin Tarantino, or someone else who takes the modern reboot into its fourth film is yet to be seen; but you can bet that the studio is definitely keeping this property in the mix when it comes to its theatrical apparatus.

For now, Star Trek lives on TV, with Star Trek: Discovery’s third season set to debut on CBS All Access at some point in 2020, and a new series, Star Trek: Picard, set to debut on January 23rd.

Ever since Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth walked away from the negotiating table in summer 2018, Star Trek 4 has been in a holding pattern, and the departure of director S.J. Clarkson at the beginning of this year made it seem like the project had been shelved. However, with just weeks until the end of 2019, word has come in that Star Trek 4 is back on track, now with Noah Hawley being lined up to captain this proverbial ship.

Well known for his work on TV shows like Fargo and Legion, and the writer of that Doctor Doom movie we’ll never see, Noah Hawley is reportedly in final talks with Paramount Pictures to write and direct Star Trek 4, i.e. the fourth installment of the Kelvin Timeline film series. According to Deadline, if a deal is worked out, Hawley would produce Star Trek 4 through his 26 Keys production banner, alongside J.J Abrams and his Bad Robot banner.

If things work out for Noah Hawley on the Star Trek 4 front, this will be his second time directing a movie, the first time being Lucy in the Sky, which was released on October 4. No specific plot details for Hawley’s version of Star Trek 4 have been revealed yet, other than that it will see the return of the actors who make up the crew of the rebooted U.S.S. Enterprise, namely Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg and John Cho.

Originally the plan for Star Trek 4 was for Captain James T. Kirk to meet his father, George Kirk, during a time travel adventure. Played by Chris Hemsworth, George died in battle only minutes after James was born in 2009’s Star Trek, which is one of the ways the Kelvin timeline differs from the original Star Trek timeline.

However, according The Hollywood Reporter’s Aaron Couch, this script has been scrapped, presumably meaning that Chris Hemsworth is no longer involved with Star Trek 4. Couch also clarified that this movie is separate from the Star Trek movie Quentin Tarantino has been attached to for two years.

The last Star Trek movie released was 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, which saw the Enterprise crew going up against Idris Elba’s Krall. Although critically well received, Beyond failed to impress commercially, making over $343.5 million worldwide off a $185 million budget. Beyond was also Anton Yelchin’s final appearance as Pavel Chekov, as the actor died a month before the movie came out.

Since then, the Star Trek franchise has enjoyed new life in the streaming world thanks to shows like Star Trek: Discovery and the upcoming Picard. With today’s news, assuming there isn’t another unexpected behind-the-scenes shakeup, we can look forward to Star Trek 4 reviving the franchise’s cinematic contributions.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how Star Trek 4 is coming along. In the meantime, plan your trips to the theater in the near future accordingly with our 2019 release schedule and 2020 release schedule.

Those who know the story of Lisa Nowak, the former NASA astronaut who later attempted the kidnapping of an Air Force Captain named Colleen Shipman, may already know some of the nitty gritty details about the woman and her actions, which will be explored more in the somewhat fictional 2019 film Lucy in the Sky. Among those moments is an adult diaper subplot that made the press rounds during the early 2000s. It’s a moment that we now know also doesn’t appear in Lucy in the Sky.

While Lucy in the Sky is loosely based on the infamous astronaut’s choices earlier in the century, the characters in the movie have been fictionalized as have some of the moments and background related to the incident. Thus, when director Noah Hawley was asked about why Lucy doesn’t wear adult diapers in the film in the same way Lisa Nowak allegedly did, he said,

Per Noah Hawley, the diapers were not really a key focal point in the story and he ultimately wanted to make Lucy Cola a character that audiences could relate to rather than a punchline. The idea that she had adult diapers on while she drove across country to kidnap her former lover’s girlfriend would have likely served as more of a punchline for the character, and Hawley told THR he was trying to “build empathy” for the character.

Still, Lucy in the Sky premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month and one of the critiques that keeps cropping up about the movie is the fact Lucy doesn’t wear adult diapers. Given it was one of the things people identify with the Nowak case, there was an expectation it would be in the movie and it isn’t.

It should be pointed out that when Lisa Nowak was arrested in real life, it was alleged that she had brought adult diapers with her for the kidnapping so that she did not have to stop on her 900-mile journey to kidnap Colleen Shipman. It was a point which she has always contended did not happen.

An early report said that two used diapers and some unused diapers had been found in the car, but had not been collected. Later Nowak’s lawyer denied the claims, noting the diapers found in the car were “toddler-sized.” At that point though, the headlines had latched onto the adult diapers and in some way that has become the legacy of the case.

Due to Lucy in the Sky not being a wholly true and accurate tale -- the lead character is named Lucy Cola and not Lisa Nowak, after all – Noah Hawley’s choice to not include a diaper sequence was absolutely his to make. Clearly, some people, however, still had an expectation the scene would be in the new movie, which stars Natalie Portman.

Jon Hamm, who also appears in the movie as the object of Lucy Cola’s affections, also had a take on why the diaper doesn’t need to be in the film, noting,

Even Natalie Portman is being asked about the absence of the scene and had to tell Ellen DeGeneres that’s basically all she’s being asked about leading into the premiere of the movie, which will hit theater schedules on October 4. It’s certainly a different sort of backlash than the one she faced years ago involving her Star Wars movies. Hopefully, nothing of this ilk crops up when she stars preparing for her Thor: Love and Thunder role.

We’ll have to wait and see if Lucy in the Sky can earn some traction that’s not about the diapers as it heads out of the gate and readies itself for awards season.

Natalie Portman is headed to space and no I’m not talking about her triumphant MCU return as the Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder. I’m talking about Lucy in the Sky, the new sci-fi drama starring Natalie Portman from Legion creator Noah Hawley. The full trailer for Lucy in the Sky has been released and I don’t know if Lucy has any diamonds, but what she does have is a wild haircut. Check it out:

Noah Hawley has put some positively bizarre imagery on the small screen, but he’s really looking to outdo himself in his jump to feature films with Natalie Portman’s haircut in Lucy in the Sky. Natalie Portman once shaved her head for V for Vendetta but this haircut is a far more jarring transformation. It’s not a bowl cut exactly, but it’s bowl cut-adjacent; in the bowl cut family, if you will. We’ll call it the ‘Mike from Stranger Things special.’

This haircut folks, it’s not good. What is good though, all joking aside, is this trailer for Lucy in the Sky. Natalie Portman stars as Lucy Cola, an astronaut who returns to Earth after a mission to space. We see her in space at the beginning of the trailer and how she is completely enraptured, as I imagine anyone would be, by the grandeur and wonder of the expanse of space.

That life-changing, transcendental experience, gives Lucy a completely new perspective on her life and a desperate desire to return to the stars. Lucy wants, needs to go back to space and her singular desire will clearly prove challenging both personally and professionally.

It appears that Natalie Portman’s Lucy will be contending with some younger competition in the form of Zazie Beetz’s Erin for the opportunity to go into space. But while Lucy is working hard to show NASA that she deserves to go back, she is making some personal decisions that will have major consequences.

Natalie Portman played a self-destructive character in the brilliant Annihilation and Lucy looks to be engaging in some self-destructive behavior here, cheating on her husband Drew, played by Legion’s Dan Stevens, with Jon Hamm’s Mark. It’s not entirely clear if Mark is a superior to Lucy, but maybe in her desperation she thought she could get an advantage by sleeping with him. That turns out not to be the case, though, as he seemingly betrays her.

Due to the intense pressure to achieve something, combined with feelings of betrayal, Lucy’s life begins to spin out of control. It’s not unlike Natalie Portman’s Oscar-winning turn in Black Swan. Lucy's life at home now feels too small, and she begins to lose her grip on reality.

She seems to go off the deep end, intimidating Mark, tearing at the walls of her home and buying supplies at a hardware store, which is rarely a good sign. She even changes her appearance, which, given that haircut, might be the sanest decision she makes.

This trailer for Lucy in the Sky goes light on the more surrealistic elements and imagery that were present in the first teaser, but it appears that this will be very much a psychological film where we can’t necessarily trust our eyes or Lucy’s interpretation of events.

Natalie Portman excels in these kinds of roles and the film looks beautifully shot. Noah Hawley’s small screen work on Fargo and Legion makes his jump to the big screen for his feature directorial debut quite exciting and I expect Lucy in the Sky to be a highly original and compelling vision.

Lucy in the Sky launches in theaters on October 4. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies and for the latest in movie news and trailers, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Back when 20th Century Fox was still a separate film studio, it tapped Legion showrunner Noah Hawley to write a movie centered on the Fantastic Four’s arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom. Now that Fox is part of the Disney empire… I mean, family, it’s unclear if this movie will ever see the light of day, but at the very least, Hawley has talked with people at Marvel Studios about Doctor Doom. He explained:

So while Doctor Doom moving forward is hardly a guarantee right now, it should also be comforting to Doctor Doom fans learning that Noah Hawley’s movie about Victor von Doom wasn’t immediately tossed out. Hawley announced he was working on a Doctor Doom movie at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017, and he later compared the story he’s come up with to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in terms of being a political thriller.

At the beginning of 2018, Noah Hawley said he hadn’t talked with anyone about if Doctor Doom would be affected by the Disney/Fox merger, and then in June that same year, he said he hoped he’d be able to work on Doctor Doom more after finishing his movie Pale Blue Dot, which is now called Lucy in the Sky and serving as his directorial debut. That’s still on his plate, as is the new season of Fargo (the final season of Legion is currently airing), so the wait may continue for Doctor Doom, but it is intriguing to hear, per Hawley’s comments to THR, that Marvel is interested in what he’s written.

Doctor Doom is one of several Fox-related Marvel projects whose futures are now in question due to Fox being part of Disney. There was also a Silver Surfer movie reportedly being developed by Brian K. Vaughan that hasn’t been mentioned lately, and most of the X-Men-related spinoffs, like Gambit, have been scrapped as a result of the merger.

It’s no secret that the Fantastic Four haven’t had a great run on film, and that’s not even including the 1994 movie that was never released to the public. While 2005’s Fantastic Four, and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer both made a decent amount of money, they also received mixed-to-negative reviews, and the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot was a flop across the board.

It’s expected that the Fantastic Four will be rebooted to fit within Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity, and there are even rumors that Ant-Man director Peyton Reed has pitched his vision for Marvel’s First Family and is looking to direct the movie. Assuming Marvel moves forward with a more conventional Fantastic Four movie, one would imagine that would put the kibosh on Doctor Doom.

Even if Doctor Doom doesn’t happen, perhaps Marvel could incorporate elements of Noah Hawley’s version of the character into the Doom people eventually see in the MCU. Doom will always primarily be an antagonist to the Fantastic Four, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be portrayed as pure evil. Surely there’s room to explore the antihero angle that appealed to Hawley.

Rest assured, if there are any major updates concerning Doctor Doom’s future on the big screen, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know. For now, you can find out what Marvel movies are on the way in our comprehensive guide.

Legion will end after Season 3 on FX, but, apparently, ratings and viewership may not have been the deciding factors in this decision. Creator Noah Hawley explained to CinemaBlend and other press during a TCA panel that David Haller's story was always meant to be finite, and have an ending that brings the story and its themes full circle.

Noah Hawley's comments make it sound as though the entire goal of Season 3 will be finding a way to conclude David's story, however that may be. It's really impossible to guess how things will go given the various bizarre directions Legion veers off into, even with Hawley's clues. Will David end up becoming a threat so great that his friends would sooner let the Shadow King go free to stop him, or will he figure things out?

Jeph Loeb knows the answer, and he assured TCA attendees that he and Marvel have been impressed enough with Noah Hawley's work on Legion that the creator could certainly drop back in for another installment of the series in the future.

Part of that statement feels spoilery, because Jeph Loeb seems to have given the indication that things will work out for Dan Stevens character, or at least enough for the cast to return for a future adventure if Noah Hawley was so inclined. Again though, this is Legion we're talking about and knowing the end result of the first 2 seasons does very little to spoil the craziness and general appeal of the X-Men series.

Whatever endgame Legion has in store, it was enough for FX to renew the Marvel series for Season 3 ahead of the Season 2 finale. Viewership and ratings weren't spectacular for the program, and the drop in viewership between Season 1 and 2 made the decision to renew a bit surprising. Perhaps the prospect of a conclusive story at the end of Season 3 seemed more attractive to FX than 2 seasons of trippy visuals and an incomplete adventure?

Legion will be back on FX for Season 3, and Seasons 1 and 2 can be enjoyed via on demand services and Hulu. For a look at what else is headed to television in the near future, visit our midseason premiere guide.

The Fantastic Four franchise has arguably had a rough life in the film world in recent years, as the 2015 reboot of the series debuted to near-universal disdain from critics. However, things got interesting last year with the announcement of the development of a Doctor Doom movie, with Legion's Noah Hawley involved behind the scenes. Many fans have wondered when they may see the film debut on the big screen, but Hawley recently admitted that it might be a long way off due to his commitment to Pale Blue Dot. In a recent interview, Hawley explained:

This doesn't necessarily mean the Doctor Doom movie isn't happening at some point down the line. That said, Noah Hawley's sights are currently set on Pale Blue Dot with Jon Hamm and Natalie Portman, and he's going to begin production on that project later this summer. He still wants to work on the Doctor Doom movie, and he actually has a screenplay to work with in the form of a "political thriller" story, but Pale Blue Dot comes first.

Then there's also the matter of rights and ownership of the properties. Elsewhere in his recent interview with Vulture, he continued discussing the future of the Doctor Doom film. In fact, Noah Hawley addressed the looming presence of the Disney-Fox deal that took place last year, and how that massive $52 billion transaction could affect the future of X-Men and Fantastic Four projects. Hawley explained:

That is where things get tricky for Fox and the Fantastic Four property as a whole. Though some movies like X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants are around the corner, movies that are further away arguably don't have quite as solid footing. First, it's unclear if Disney has any plans to fold that corner of the Marvel lore into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fact that it could do so creates a sense of "uncertainty" around how Fox may use those characters if the massive deal receives approval. Secondly, the merger between Disney and Fox has been written about a ton over the last several months, but it still hasn't even gone through yet, leading to more questions.

No matter what happens with the Doctor Doom movie, we will bring you more information related to the potential project as more details are made available to us. Until then, head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to get up-to-date on everything debuting this year!

When characters square off in a TV show or movie, they often engage in an epic battle of major fisticuffs. Not Legion. In Episode 3 of Season 2, there was a mind-blowing sequence that saw David (Dan Stevens) utilize the dance floor as a psychic battleground against his nemesis Farouk. So why didn't viewers get a scene with fists and furniture flying across the room? Legion showrunner Noah Hawley explained everything in a behind-the-scenes video for FX. This is what Hawley said:

In the behind-the-scenes video posted on FX's YouTube page, the cast also talks about the elaborate preparation required for Episode 3's dance sequence. It is a scene that required intense preparation. Dance scenes are often as complicated as fight sequences, as both require a deceptive amount of work to make the final product as staggering as it is. Will Legion start a trend towards characters confronting each other through the power of dance? Anything is possible.

Comic fans are used to seeing large-scale battles between foes, so the dance sequence offered them a taste of something different. As Legion's Dan Stevens points out, dance has been a component of the series before. This new take on dance as a means of existential confrontation is an interesting approach to the material. Whether fans will welcome the epic dance battle as a future trend remains to be seen.

It is unclear if the next episode of Legion Season 2 will include a dance battle. Given what is shown in the promo for Episode 4, it seems that Syd (Rachel Keller) and David will be working together in some capacity.

One thing is better known. The work that went into building Episode 3's intricate dance sequence was quite rigorous. It involved a lot of moving parts, including the choreography having to express the script. The actors also had to execute the emotion behind their character's dance moves, all the while syncing their movements to those of the backup dancers at certain points. And, Legion's composer, Jeff Russo, had to arrange the music to fit the dance, which obviously played a huge role in the finished product.

Behind-the-scenes videos like this give you an appreciation for the level of work that goes into a briefly seen, crucial scene, and it is even more extensive than fans may realize. You can watch the entire behind-the-scenes video below:

Legion Season 2 is far from over. David's story continues with Episode 4, which is entitled "Chapter 12." It premieres Tuesday, April 24 at 10 p.m. ET on FX. Curious about what else is coming up on FX? Find out, with our guides to TV's midseason and summer premieres. If you are craving more superhero shows, we have you covered there too. Check our guide to the new and returning superhero series coming on TV in 2018.

While the Fantastic Four were the heroes that paved the way for the modern Marvel universe, their cinematic ventures have left a lot to be desired. The three Fantastic Four movies that have been theatrically released so far have all been received mixed to poor reviews, with the 2015 reboot bombing both critically and commercially. Fans have since questioned what 20th Century Fox plans to to with Marvel's First Family next, and it looks like we have our answer: turn the focus away from the superheroes and towards their arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom. Even better, Legion's Noah Hawley is the one working on this movie. Hawley said today:

CinemaBlend's own Nick Venable was in attendance at the Legion panel at San Diego Comic-Con when Noah Hawley casually dropped that he's developing a Doctor Doom movie. Hawley didn't disclose any other details about this project, but THR has heard that in addition to crafting this Doctor Doom tale, Hawley also "has an eye to direct."

Noah Hawley rose to FX fame with Fargo, which concluded its third season last month, but in addition to that series, he's also been leaving his mark on comic book media with Legion, the X-Men TV series centered around David Haller, Professor X's son from the comics. Now in addition to keeping Legion's critical acclaim up in Season 2, he's working in the other corner of Fox's Marvel holdings, only instead of focusing on Fantastic Four, this story will focus on Doctor Doom, who is not just their greatest enemy, but one of the chief antagonists in the Marvel universe.

Doctor Doom has been part of the Fantastic Four mythos since the team's fifth appearance in 1962, and he's previously been portrayed on the big screen by Julian McMahon and Toby Kebbell. Giving Doctor Doom his own movie is reminiscent of how Sony is about to spotlight Venom, one of Spider-Man's main villains, in his own spinoff. However, since Venom won't be battling the Web-Slinger in his movie, it begs the question of if this Doctor Doom movie will feature the Fantastic Four or if Victor von Doom won't interact with the team at all. Victor is certainly a compelling and complex character, but it's hard to imagine him leading a movie where he doesn't clash with Reed Richards (his intellectual rival), Susan Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm. That said, with Noah Hawley as the creative mind behind this project, that hopefully bodes well for this being a captivating and "outside the box" story.

In addition to this Doctor Doom movie, it's also been rumored that there is a Fantastic Four movie in the works that's about Reed Richards and Susan Storm's children, Franklin and Valeria. Since its direct adaptations of the Fantastic Four weren't received well overall, evidently Fox is now looking to other characters in the team's mythos to keep the property going in theaters. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news on what's going on with the Fantastic Four franchise.

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Two of the most talked-about cable TV shows of recent years are The Walking Dead on AMC and Fargo on FX. The creators who made those shows happen should be credited with changing the TV landscape and adjusting the kind of complex narratives that viewers can expect from their entertainment. Now, in a slightly unlikely collaboration, the creators of The Walking Dead and Fargo are joining forces to bring a brand new show that sounds more than a little crazy to the small screen on FX.

Robert Kirkman and Dave Alpert of The Walking Dead are working with Noah Hawley of Fargo on a crime drama that will be called The Mastermind. The series will be based on the investigative stories written by journalist Evan Ratcliff that have been posted on the longform nonfiction publishing platform Atavist Magazine, which Ratcliff also founded. Episodes will follow Paul Le Roux, who is a former programmer and criminal cartel boss. He became a Drug Enforcement Administration informant, and the role led to some crazy stories that should make for an exciting and unpredictable TV show.

Interestingly, the creators of The Walking Dead and Fargo aren't the only big names attached to the project. THR reports that brothers Joe and Anthony Russo -- best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier -- are slated to executive produce and direct the new drama. As the show is currently still only in development, it may be a while before we hear anything about casting or filming locations. Still, with the teams behind The Walking Dead, Fargo, and The Winter Soldier on board, I'm guessing the show will make it to series without much trouble.

The Masterminds on FX will mark a big basic cable move for Robert Kirkman. He's best known for his AMC series all about the zombie apocalypse (and talking about the zombie apocalypse). FX was actually one of the many networks that passed on The Walking Dead back when Kirkman and Co. were still shopping it around to find a home. As The Walking Dead has become the highest-rated show on cable, I have to imagine that the brass at FX regret their decision not to pick up The Walking Dead, although FX is doing pretty well for itself thanks to Fargo and the Noah Hawley's other series, Legion.

Of course, FX might not have any more Fargo in its future. While the series hasn't be cancelled, Noah Hawley has revealed that Fargo will only continue if he comes up with a good enough idea that he wants to produce another ten hours. FX is reportedly leaving the fate of the series up to him, so if The Mastermind does move forward, Hawley may be too busy for more Fargo. We'll have to wait and see.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and swing by our summer TV guide to see what you can watch on the small screen nowadays.

Warning: spoilers ahead for the Fargo Season 3 finale, "Somebody to Love."

FX has been the home of some of the darkest comedy in primetime in recent years thanks to the three seasons of Fargo. Each season so far has been a chapter in an anthology, and there have been only relatively minor connections between the plots of each. Basically, Fargo has been able to come back no matter how the previous season ended and how many characters were killed off. The very last episode of Season 3 just aired, and only two of the main characters survived. As there has been no announcement of a renewal or cancellation for Fargo so far, the question now is if the third season finale was actually the series finale. Luckily, creator Noah Hawley has revealed what's going on with a potential future for Fargo:

Well, Fargo fans don't have to panic that Season 3 was the very end. The cliffhanger that had Gloria squaring off against Varga in an interrogation room might not be the very last scene of Fargo on FX ever. Noah Hawley's comments to The Wrap indicate that we could be in for more murder shenanigans in the future; that future is simply still vague and undefined. If Hawley comes up with an idea for another 10 episodes, it sounds like FX will be on board to make t happen.

Of course, Noah Hawley will be busy for the foreseeable future. He's had several other projects in the works at FX for years now, and Legion was one of the most talked-about comic book TV shows of the 2016-2017 TV season. With Season 2 of Legion in the works (with even more references to the X-Men universe) and film commitments, Hawley simply may not have the time to even think about Fargo Season 4 for a while.

Kudos to FX for giving Noah Hawley and the team at Fargo so much leeway when it comes to future seasons. The network clearly has a lot of faith in him; if a Season 4 does happen on FX, it won't be one that was rushed out of the production team to hit a deadline. This actually isn't the first time that FX has given head honchos the freedom to produce their shows at their own pace. Comedian Louis C.K. had a similar deal when it came to his show Louie. We can only hope, wait, and see at this point if more Fargo is in the future.

Now that Fargo Season 3 has concluded, take a gander at our summer TV schedule to find what you can catch in primetime in the coming weeks.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Legion's Season 1 finale.

Capping off one of the most interesting and exciting debut seasons of any TV show ever, FX's Legion pummeled audiences with another battle of the minds for tonight's Season 1 finale, as David faced the Shadow King head-on and head-in, but he didn't exactly win. Though our central hero and the others lived through it all, the deadly Amahl Farouk is now on the lam inside of Oliver's mind, and David is...well, we're not quite sure where David is, as the episode's surprise post-credits scene introduced a strange vessel that totally abducted him. What the hell was that about?

The quickest and easiest bet to make is that some other threat has arrived and taken David captive. And in his physical form, too, rather than just his brain, the way that Shadow King did. After all, what better way to really stick it to the protagonist than to slip him right into another harrowing arc so soon after he finally exiled the beast that's been holding him hostage since childhood. And there are lots of villains from the comics that could do this sort of thing.

I mean, Legion already has its own set of mysterious folks in Division 3 that are trying to get David in some sort of controllable environment, and Melanie's attempts to quell things just weren't working. Right before the shit hit the fan after Syd put her lips to David's, "The Equinox" was ordered to go into play. Is The Equinox shaped like a Magic 8 Ball and capable of sucking people into its illogical interior?

It's a definite possibility, but I have another idea. What if it's not a bad guy taking David at all, but a good guy? A very particular good guy.

Villains usually like to make more of a scene -- see: Corpse-Face Lenny -- and there wasn't any fanfare at all involved with the mystery drone appearing and scanning David before zapping him up and slowly hovering away. Seems like just the kind of deliberate move that one Charles Xavier would make if he were to show up in David's life after all this time to take him back (for one reason or another). The ball itself is reminiscent of Professor X's signature Cerebro/Cerebra technology, and it seems to have found him based on some form of telekinesis. Did you happen to notice the person walking through the background behind David and Syd? It was someone wearing a long red jacket, and Legion fans know that red comes up when David's powers are flowing. What if red is a family color? (Or maybe that was just an extra.)

Legion would be making a lot of fans happy if Professor X were responsible, as well as making a lot of sense within the story. Shadow King is now on the road and heading south, presumably in an effort to find Xavier for having defeated him in the distant past. And the whole reason David was given up for adoption in the first place was to protect him from the mind-haunting villain. Now that Farouk is gone, Professor X can once again enter David's life, and with great purpose. And Patrick Stewart is more than ready to do it.

Creator Noah Hawley has hinted in the past that we would likely see Legion bringing Professor X into the story in some way, but likely not in Season 1. So could it be that this flying doohickey is a surrogate for the most powerful mindbender in the X-Men universe? Or is this really just whatever the hell Equinox is? Or -- stay with me here -- what if Equinox is a plan specifically meant to bring David to Professor X? Season 2 had better have some X-answers.

Legion is now completely finished with Season 1, which sadly had only eight episodes instead of a million. Thankfully, we're definitely getting Season 2 from FX, which will premiere at some point in 2018. That's a long time to wait, but until then, you can head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV guide to see what else is on the way.

Despite the fact that superhero TV shows have become incredibly popular over the course of the last few years, some series have still found new ways to innovate on the tried and true formula. No show epitomizes that idea more than Legion -- a series that has developed a stellar reputation for its mind-boggling storytelling and its off-kilter take on the X-Men world. Legion has kept its connections to the greater X-Men universe relatively tenuous throughout the run of its first season, but it will continue to embrace certain aspects of the mutant lore as it moves into Season 2. Showrunner Noah Hawley explained:

So if we're to believe Noah Hawley's recent comments to Blastr, Legion will continue to embrace aspects and elements of the X-Men lore as it progresses, but we shouldn't expect any literal adaptations of X-Men stories. Hawley seems to have an interest in using the fundamental DNA of the X-Men universe to tell a story that's uniquely his own, and that's something that fans have also gravitated towards. Just like with Fargo, fans will enjoy certain references to the source material, but inside knowledge of the X-Men lore won't be required to get everything out of Legion's future stories. While there's going to be a concerted effort to "reward" fans who have a knowledge of the mutant world, we're not going to see a small screen version of Days of Future Past play out anytime soon.

Although I would argue that Legion should continue to stand on its own (particularly with another X-Men series on the way) there are still notable connections to the overarching X-Men universe that would be phenomenal to see. One of the most interesting would be the introduction of David's father, Charles Xavier, with Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role. Stewart has stated that he is interested in returning to the part on the small screen, so that could be one of the easiest and best ways to keep specific links to the X-Men universe alive.

The Legion season finale airs on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. EST on FX. If you're on the lookout for more information pertaining to all of this summer's most highly anticipated television debuts, make sure to take a look at our comprehensive summer TV premiere guide and fill out your viewing calendars accordingly!

The oldest live-action superhero universe currently in existence is the ongoing mutant universe, dating all the way back to Bryan Singer's original X-Men film from 2000. After all these years, we honestly started to wonder whether or not it had any tricks left up its sleeves, but with the upcoming release of Legion on FX, it seems that the mutants are about to blow us away with a surprisingly complex and diverse variety of mental powers. Legion's TV creator and producer Noah Hawley explained:

The basic idea behind these characters' powers has been explained before, but this is undoubtedly the clearest explanation we have received so far. Right off the bat, Noah Hawley's words to EW present us with a version of the mutant universe that we definitely have not seen before, at least not in this expanded capacity. While previous adventures set within the world of the X-Men have dealt with the concept of physical abilities (healing factors, laser vision, lightning, etc.) Legion will place its focus on more cerebral powers of the mutant world. In short, it will be an examination of mind over might, which makes sense for a show that's about the son of the similarly cerebral Charles Xavier.

In general, the project seems far less concerned with standard action that one would typically find in a traditional superhero series (Daredevil, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., etc.) and more concerned with creating character-driven narratives that explore the deeper ramifications of these powers. We live in an era where superhero fatigue is a constant concern for fans of the comic book genre, so Legion already feels like a compelling and refreshing change of pace, and Hawley also explained that the season isn't necessarily building to a giant fight like most projects in the comic book genre.

However, that doesn't mean that Legion won't share more than a few similarities with the X-Men universe. The series revolves around the aforementioned Omega mutant David who one day discovers that his perceived schizophrenia is a mutant ability to reach into the minds of others. As the reality of his situation becomes clear, David soon meets others like him and realizes that there's something much more complicated at play than a mental illness. At its core, that's still a very X-Men premise, and Noah Hawley says that there could very well be caped characters in this universe. Or they might not be.

CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant updates about this new series as more information is made available to us. Legion will debut on Wednesday, February 8 at 10 p.m. EST on FX. If you're looking for more details regarding all of the most highly anticipated spring television debuts, make sure to check out our comprehensive midseason premiere guide and fill out your TV viewing schedules accordingly.

For an even closer look at the upcoming mutant series, check out Legion's San Diego Comic-Con trailer on the next page and prepare to have your mind melted!

We certainly hope that you’ll be thinking about last night’s finale of Fargo Season 2 for a long time, because that’s how long you’ll be waiting to see Season 3 make its way to your televisions. According to creator Noah Hawley, we won’t be seeing a lick of this show in 2016, and we’ll have to wait until 2017 for new Fargo to arrive. Guess that means I’ll have enough time to create a soundboard full of Mike Milligan quotes.

So is this relatively large delay caused by aliens that don’t really do much? Is it because of sharply-dressed gangsters? Is it because Jeffrey Donovan kept threatening to hit people with his belt buckle? Nope to all of those. It’s because there’s not enough time for the season to put it together in time for a 2016 debut. As Hawley explains, it’s a show meant to be set in the winter, and there wasn’t enough time to form the story and characters in order to get things done during the upcoming winter.

According to EW, a production start on Season 3 will likely be in November 2016. So we can perhaps hope to see it premiering around March or April, around the same time as Season 1. And really, there were 16 months (give or take some days) between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 this past October. So if Season 3 does premiere in April, it will be a wait that Fargo fans were already used to. Not that we liked it, but still. Worth it.

Indeed, Fargo is a show so engaging and particular that any amount of time is worth waiting in order to get another guaranteed season. We don’t even need to know what Season 3 will be about to want it, which is fine since Hawley isn’t really giving much up by way of details. We know it’ll take place in 2010, will feel more contemporary, and could bring some characters back, but likely won’t make them main characters. The way the Season 2 finale worked Season 1 characters in was pretty great, so even if that’s the only human connective tissue between the second two seasons, that’d be great.

Of course, it’s not like Hawley is brimming with spare time these days, regardless of if a winter-based production was feasible. He recently entered into a multi-year overall deal with FX, and thus has a bunch of new projects on the horizon. Here’s hoping Fargo still gets the lion’s share of his attention, though.

Hey, at least we’ll still be able to kind of relive the glory of Fargo Season 2 during next year’s Emmys, where the show will hopefully rake in some awards.

We’ve been waiting a long time for Fox to announce where they were going with their X-Men TV series , and the network’s recent announcement of development on Hellfire came paired with news that FX was going forward with an adaptation of Legion. Double mutant news! But how much X-men crossover will actually happen with Legion? At this point, probably not a lot. But it’s early!

The show is being put together by Fargo creator Noah Hawley, and it’s still early enough in the process that all the details are falling into place. Hawley, the pilot’s showrunner, told TVInsider the following.

So it’s entirely possible that there could be some recognizable X-Men: Apocalypse tie-ins by the time it would get to air if it got picked up to series, but for now, Hawley is just interested in telling the very specific story of David Haller, a.k.a. Legion. While bringing in extra characters is on the backburner, the showrunner is interested in telling a story where the quasi-schizophrenic Haller is having trouble dealing with what is reality and what isn’t, and he wants the show to put audiences through the same thing. That sounds like the best possible foundation to build up from, and it might not matter if they don’t immediately talk about him being Professor Xavier’s son.

When asked about how both the Legion and Hellfire press releases failed to mention X-Men outside of producer credits, here’s what Hawley said.

Gotta respect that, too. Something like Bates Motel works even if you’ve never watched Psycho, so it’s good to cast a wide net while keeping things as familiar as possible. Fox has Lucifer coming, which isn’t much like the comic at all. So. Who knows? Fargo gives me all the faith in the world that Hawley can turn this into captivating TV.

Hawley says that the Legion pilot is being shot in either January or early February, and the hope is for there to be something there that’s great enough to make FX ask for an entire season. There’s still no official order for Season 3 of Fargo, so he’ll be able to stay busy in the psychologically fraught comic book world in the meantime. And if this new project is anywhere near as dense and pleasurably uncomfortable, then the network will have another hit on its hands.

For the past year or so, Fox has been talking about getting an X-Men series going, and it looks like the parent studio also thought it would be a good idea to expand the comic influence over more of its networks. FX has put in an order for a pilot based on the Marvel character Legion, real name David Heller and better known as the son of Professor X.

It probably comes as a surprise to no one that the project will be called Legion. It’ll center on Haller, who has been dealing with a strange mental illness ever since his teenage years. Because no one can quite figure it out, he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and was shopped around from one psych hospital to the next. But following a bizarre event involving a fellow patient, Haller realizes that he might not be crazy at all, and that the voices and visions he’s been dealing with might be all too real. Dun-dun-DUN!

Intriguingly, the pilot is being written and executive produced by Noah Hawley, the Bones writer who turned FX’s Fargo from an oddball adaptation into television gold. He’s got an interesting way of telling stories, so I’m definitely on board with him taking over this project. And of course, he’ll be backed by the Marvel/X-Men all-star team of Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, Jeph Loeb and others.

The press release gives exactly zero mention of Professor X, which makes me wonder if the show will indeed keep that part of the story intact. Or maybe those details are still being worked out. A Fox show wouldn’t be able to use Marvel characters that are owned entirely by Marvel Studios, but the studio has had the X-Men franchise for a while now, so it’s assumedly able to use them.

David Haller first appeared in the comics in 1985, and his basic story involves his younger years spent manifesting mutant powers that allow him to become the identities of his seemingly endless multiple personalities, which also gives him access to each personality’s unique superpowers. Because he’s Professor X’s son, his powers are usually of the mental variety, as he’s capable of telekinesis and pyrokinesis, but he’s also able to warp time and shoot electricity. He’s kind of like the Swiss army knife of superheroes, although he is a far more tortured person than someone like Peter Parker.

FX is also in the running to turn Y: The Last Man into a TV show, so they’re obviously invested in telling some of the comic world’s more ambitious stories. Here’s hoping Hawley’s approach to the material wows FX execs enough to get this thing ordered to series so that we may one day Hypnobloke make his TV debut.

Fargo is gearing up to premiere its second season. The show will feature ties to the first season, but will also feature new actors and a whole new time period. Recently, showrunner and creator Noah Hawley spoke out to explain why the FX drama decided to throw all of the former concepts out and start over for Season 2. Apparently, Joel and Ethan Coen—the creators of the original Fargo movie—were behind the inspiration. Here’s what Hawley had to say:

It’s a short, simple and efficient reasoning, if I’ve ever heard one. The Coen brothers aren’t really big on sequels, choosing to hop from project to project and delve into a wide variety of characters. So, that’s what Hawley used for inspiration when he was coming up with the premise for Fargo Season 2. Although the sophomore season of the FX drama will follow one character from the first season as a much younger man and while it is admittedly a prequel story, the ensemble cast, the story arc and even the tone of the new series is expected to be different than the FX series’ first round at bat.

Interestingly, a second season of Fargo wasn’t always planned to be so different. Variety notes that when they spoke with Hawley, they learned that Season 1 stars Colin Hanks and Allison Tolman were both given contracts that featured options for a second season. Instead, Hawley sat down and came up with a pitch that turned Tolman’s Molly Solverson into a pre-teen and Patrick Wilson’s Lou Solverson into a young father and a police officer. The main plot will surround young Lou (Patrick Wilson) and his partner Hank (Ted Danson)’s investigation into a shooting at a Sioux Falls diner. Solverson will also be dealing with the emotionality of returning home after being in Vietnam. You can check out the first trailer for the series, below.

From the way Hawley has spoken before, if the creative team and network can get on the same page about future seasons, they will also be in more of an anthology format with some threads that could connect the seasons, similar to Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.

For now, Season 2 of Fargo will have to suffice. After a long wait, Fargo is expected to return to FX’s schedule on Monday, October 12 at 10 p.m. ET. If you’d like to see when the rest of your fall favorites are returning, check out our fall TV premiere schedule.