The people behind the new Alien movie, Romulus, got fans excited at Comic-Con! They talked all about what to expect from the addition to the popular Alien series. The director, Fede Álvarez, was there with the cast. They included Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, and Spike Fern.
The panel gave fans a sneak peek at Romulus. It takes place between the first Alien movie and Aliens. Álvarez said they wanted new people to be able to follow along, but also honor what came before. “You can’t just rely on connections to older movies to get people interested,” he explained.
They showed some intense clips too. One was a super scary facehugger attack scene. Another showed the infamous chestburster birth that grosses people out. These parts proved they used practical effects like robots instead of just computer graphics. Both the cast and director felt this added to the realness.
Alien: Romulus panel…everyone in Hall H, all 6500 of them, just received facehugger masks. pic.twitter.com/GjJ3UdltXQ
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) July 27, 2024
Álvarez talked about feeling pressure joining such a famous franchise. But once on set, with the cool sets and robotic vehicles, he calmed down. “You get so focused on the tiny colony that the stress fades away,” he said.
The actors shared what it was like to film. Spaeny said she trusted Álvarez’s vision for her character. Shooting the scenes in order helped the emotions feel real, especially when their characters died as the movie went on.
As a nod to movie history, Álvarez said they borrowed original Alien designs. They even hired people who worked on earlier Alien films. One was Shane Mahan from Aliens.
Ridley Scott, the first Alien director, and Guillermo del Toro asked questions in a video. When Scott asked about themes, Álvarez pointed to sibling bonds and how far you’d go for family in Romulus.
Comic-Con attendees got an exciting experience. There were lights and actors pretending to be aliens. At the end, everyone went home with rubber facehugger souvenirs. Romulus looks to thrill both die-hard Alien fans and newcomers when it releases soon.
