Alien: Earth sets summer streaming date and releases a new trailer

The tagline for Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi horror Alien (1979) read, ‘In space, no-one can hear you scream’. This summer, fans will indeed be screaming, but with delight rather than horror, because Alien: Earth is on its way. A brand-new trailer heralds its arrival (scroll down to watch it).

According to The Playlist, Noah Hawley‘s Alien prequel series will be landing in the USA on August 12th on FX and Hulu. Disney has confirmed a UK airdate of August 13th on Disney+, with the first two episodes available to stream. This will be followed by one episode every Wednesday (there are eight in total).

Alien: Earth takes place in 2120, which places it two years before the events of Alien, 22 years before the events of Alien: Covenant (2017), and 59 years before the events of Aliens (1986).

The official synopsis is as follows:

In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype, named Wendy, marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.

Pistol and Don’t Worry Darling actor Sydney Chandler portrays Wendy. The cast also includes Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Adrian Edmonson and Essie Davis.

Reactions to the Alien franchise are as wide-ranging as the timeline is convoluted. Both Ridley Scott’s film and James Cameron’s Aliens are considered genre-defining masterpieces. David Fincher’s Alien 3 (1992) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien: Resurrection (1997) fiercely split opinion, as do Scott’s Alien prequel films Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017).

Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Alvarez, is widely credited with getting the franchise back on track, returning it to its pared-down, claustrophobic roots. Until now, there’s never been an Alien–related cinematic property that has taken place on Earth (unless one counts the Alien vs Predator movies), bar the brief closing moments of Alien: Resurrection.

Emmy-winner Hawley is acclaimed for his work on Fargo, adapted from the Coen brothers’ 1996 film, and the short-lived X-Men spin-off Legion. Given he serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer on Alien: Earth, his signature will surely be all over the series.

Watch the Alien: Earth trailer below: