TV
Ridley Scott Says the FX “Alien” Series Will Be 8-10 Hours Long
The Alien universe is about to grow exponentially with FX backing the franchise’s first-ever series.
At the time of the original announcement, Alien director Ridley Scott, who returned to the franchise to helm both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, was in advanced talks to executive produce the small screen series for the cabler.
Now, in an interview with the BCC, as transcribed by Variety, Scott reveals that a pilot is currently being written with what will translate to 8-10 hours of the show. The same is being done with a Blade Runner series.
“Alien” was first announced back in 2020 with Noah Hawley (“Legion,” “Fargo”) attached as showrunner and developing.
As the site notes, FX boss John Landgraf described the project last year as “the first Alien story set on Earth — and by blending both the timeless horror of the first Alien film with the non-stop action of the second, it’s going to be a scary thrill ride that will blow people back in their seats.”
This past July, Hawley clarified that “it’s not a Ripley story,” adding, “She’s one of the great characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don’t want to mess with it. It’s a story that’s set on Earth also. The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of “What happens if you can’t contain it?” are more immediate.”
Head over to Vanity Fair to read the full chat with Noah Hawley. Or, if you’re jonesing for more Alien content, you can board the Covenant with our own Horror Queers co-hosts Trace Thurman and Joe Lipsett below in their hilarious deep dive.
Himesh Patel (Tenet, Don’t Look Up) will star opposite Danielle Deadwyler (The Woman in the Yard) in Ryan Coogler’s reboot of “The X-Files“, which has wrapped filming on the pilot.
Patel confirmed the news in a chat with The Direct, while reiterating that he and Deadwyler play new characters.
“I don’t want to say anything that’s going to get me disappeared. Needless to say, myself and Danielle Deadwyler are playing completely new characters, and we just wrapped on the pilot. If we get to do more… we’ll see where we go from there,” Patel said.
That last sentence is noteworthy, as Patel is reminding that Hulu has only ordered the pilot so far. A full series order has yet to be greenlit.
It’s a good reminder, considering that Hulu also ordered a pilot for the “Buffy: New Sunnydale” reboot that was filmed and delivered earlier this year, only for the streamer to send shockwaves when it opted not to move forward with the series.
As for “The X-Files” pilot, Sinners filmmaker Ryan Coogler writes and directs the pilot. Jennifer Yale (“The Copenhagen Test”) serves as showrunner.
Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler play two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.
Patel and Deadwyler previously co-starred together on “Station Eleven.”
Other actors who have signed on for guest roles include Amy Madigan, Steve Buscemi, Ben Foster, Devery Jacobs, Lochlyn Munro, Tantoo Cardinal, Joel D. Montgrand, and Sofia Grace Clifton.
“The X-Files” originally ran for nine seasons between 1993 and 2002, with two additional seasons arriving in 2016 and 2018. 218 episodes were produced in total, along with two feature films: 1998’s The X-Files: Fight the Future and 2008’s The X-Files: I Want to Believe.
Himesh Patel in “Station Eleven”
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