Alien: Earth‘s creator and producer have discussed the show’s new creatures. The upcoming science-fiction horror series is based on the Alien movie franchise and serves as a prequel, taking place two years before the events of the original 1979 Alien movie. It will serve as the first TV show in the franchise, with Alien: Earth set to debut on FX and Hulu on August 12.
During an interview with ScreenRant for Alien: Earth, creator Noah Hawley and producer David Zucker discussed the new creatures that are set to feature in the series. Hawley teased how these horrifying species hark back to the look and feel of the original Alien movie, and provide a feeling of genuine revulsion.
Zucker praised Hawley’s vision of the series, the development of the creatures, and how they feel invasive yet effective. He stated how the creatures are different, but that there is an air of familiarity to them, and that they could unleash plenty of destruction and horror. Check out their comments below:
Noah Hawley: Yeah, I mean, the idea is that this USCS Maginot that Crashes on Earth is a bit like Darwin’s HMS Beagle that’s been going around and collecting samples and specimens from around the galaxy.
And the idea is that in order to make you feel the feelings that you felt watching the first Alien movie, you need to have some kind of discovery at the lifecycle of these creatures and the xenomorph, which has this amazing four monsters in one value added voyage of discovery, you can never feel those feelings again with that creature.
So we need to introduce these new creatures to get back to that feeling of genetic revulsion you felt every time it shifted and changed in some parasitic or predatory way.
David Zucker: I think it’s impressive how efficiently Noah has not only conceived of those, but how effectively and invasive they feel, both in how we have some recognition, familiarity with them, but also trying to even anticipate what kind of hell they’ll unleash, which we get some glimpse of this season, but can only begin to imagine where it may go.
What This Means For Alien: Earth’s New Creatures
The series follows the crew of the spacecraft Maginot, as it crash-lands on Earth. The trailer for Alien: Earth perfectly captures the tension and atmosphere of the original franchise, and teases some new creatures that look horrifying, as well as presenting some different, but altogether hostile, behavior.
Hawley and Zucker’s comments suggest that a conscious choice was made to try to ensure that the show’s new creatures were offering legacy fans something different. The xenomorph is such an iconic movie creature, and trying to approach this with a fresh and unique take makes people take note and understand that this isn’t just a rehash of previous Alien movies.
The interesting approach to the creatures, and the fact that a decision was made to hark back to the terror of the first Alien movie, shows that the creators understand the franchise and want to go back to what made Alien iconic. Getting the creatures right aesthetically is essential, and this seems to be something Hawley has spent time perfecting.
Our Take On Alien: Earth’s New Creatures
While Hawley and Zucker are careful not to give too much away, the trailer reveals a little more about these new creatures. The fact that Hawley has decided to try something a little different is a positive sign for Alien: Earth moving forward, and this could even be taken further, laying the foundations for a potential Alien: Earth and Predator crossover in the future.
This approach suggests Hawley is a fan of the original franchise and wants to enhance the story by making something that serves to respect the source material while also adding to what has come before. Seeing the Alien franchise explored via a long-form TV show is exciting, and there is a good chance Alien: Earth will be a critical and commercial success.
