Fede Alvarez says he never planned to direct Alien: Romulus 2, but he was adamant about writing it: "We want to make sure no one kills them right at the beginning"

Cailee Spaeny in Alien: Romulus — (Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Fede Álvarez always knew he wasn't going to direct a follow-up to Alien: Romulus, no matter how well it went down with sci-fi horror fans. One thing he was adamant about doing, though, was writing a sequel.

While appearing at HorrorHound Film Festival in Cincinnati recently, the director told the crowd that it's "one of those things where you come in and do one" when it comes to the Alien franchise, much like what James Cameron did with Aliens and David Fincher did with Alien 3. "All those directors I love, they went and did one. Obviously Ridley [Scott] created it, he has the right to make a bunch of them," he said (via Bloody Disgusting).

Referring to his writing partner Rodo Sayagues, Álvarez added: "We did want to write it. Honestly it's because we love the characters we created so we want to make sure no one kills them right at the beginning of the next one. They went and killed Hicks and Newt just like that... hey, let's not let that happen. We wrote it and made sure they stayed alive, and now we can let someone else make it."

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Starring Isabela Merced, Eileen Wu, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, and Priscilla's Cailee Spaeny, Alien: Romulus takes place in the 57 years between the original Alien (1979). It follows the latter's Rain Carradine, as she and her synth brother Andy (Jonsson) lead a team of young volunteers through a exploratory scavenging mission. Swapping their humdrum life on a mining colony for the important task takes a dark turn, however, when they come face to face with the most terrifying lifeform in the cosmos.

A sequel was officially announced in October 2024, with the news that Álvarez wouldn't helm the flick being confirmed in September 2025.