Many were confused when news broke that Fede Álvarez would not be returning to direct the sequel to “Alien: Romulus.” Since then, speculation has been rampant: did Álvarez step aside voluntarily, or was there friction behind the scenes with 20th Century or even Ridley Scott?
At HorrorBound Weekend, Álvarez and his longtime collaborator Rodo Sayagues addressed the elephant in the room. Álvarez reiterated that, contrary to overwhelming evidence, his plan was always to do a single Alien film.
While Álvarez won’t be returning to the director’s chair, he and Sayagues have penned the script for the follow-up, citing that “someone else” will be directing it. Speculation inevitably went rampant; Noah Hawley? Ridley Scott?
Turns out, that “someone else” could be Demián Rugna, the Argentine filmmaker behind last year’s horror breakout “When Evil Lurks.” Both Álvarez and Sayagues name-dropped Rugna during the panel, with a strong hint that he might be their pick to take over.
If true, the choice would be intriguing: Rugna’s “When Evil Lurks” was one of the more interesting horror films of 2023,. His visceral style could bring a raw intensity back to the Alien franchise—something fans have been clamoring for. It’s certainly not what fans expected, but maybe that’s what the ‘Alien’ franchise needs.
Nothing is official yet, but Rugna’s name keeps being mentioned in the rumor mill, with Alien podcast Perfect Organism also citing a source confirming Rugna as director of the ‘Romulus’ sequel.
Either way, an announcement should come soon, since production is slated to begin in October—unless it’s been delayed by Álvarez suddenly handing the project over to someone else. Hey, that’s what he’s saying. Should we believe him?