A new Alien film is in development at 20th Century Studios, with Ridley Scott producing and Aaron Guzikowski writing the screenplay. According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the project, Guzikowski has been tapped to write the mystery feature, with Scott producing through Scott Free alongside Michael Pruss.
The project is not a sequel to Alien: Romulus, the 2024 film that revived the franchise in theatres. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is instead connected to Scott's prequels Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), revisiting the more philosophical strand of the series that explored the origins of life and the intentions of artificial intelligence.
No director is attached yet, and plot details remain under wraps. According to Gizmodo's report on the announcement, Michael Fassbender's android David, introduced in Prometheus and developed as an antagonist in Alien: Covenant, is described as the connective thread between those films and the new project, although Fassbender is not currently confirmed to return.
The timing follows Scott's own comments earlier in 2026. According to Gizmodo, Scott told French outlet AlloCiné in August 2026 that he thought Alien: Romulus "was OK" and needed some help, adding that he had already sketched a footprint for the next film picking up where Alien: Covenant left off. The new writing assignment turns that idea into an active development project.
For context, Alien: Romulus grossed about $350.9 million worldwide against an $80 million budget, while Alien: Covenant earned about $242 million against a $110 million budget. The franchise also remains active on television, with the FX series Alien: Earth renewed for a second season. What happens next is the script stage: a director, casting and a production timetable will only follow once Guzikowski's screenplay takes shape, so no release date has been announced.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons