Don't Breathe director Fede Alvarez's Alien movie finds its lead in Cailee Spaeny

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The new Alien movie is being developed as a standalone entry in the sci-fi horror franchise

Ridley Scott's Alien
(Image credit: Fox)

Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy, Mare of Easttown) is in talks to lead Fede Alvarez's upcoming Alien movie at 20th Century Studios.

Alvarez is developing the new film as a standalone entry, rather than a traditional sequel, in the iconic sci-fi horror franchise. Ridley Scott is set to produce under his Scott Free banner. The Hollywood Reporter reports that the film is being made for Hulu, rather than a theatrical release. Per Deadline, the film is due out in early 2023.

The director helmed the 2013 Evil Dead remake, which was reimagined as a straight horror and ditched the comedic elements that were present in Sam Raimi's original 1981 film. He would go on to direct 2016's Don't Breathe, produced by Raimi, which follows three friends who become trapped in a blind man's house after breaking into it.

Spaeny starred in The Craft: Legacy, and How It Ends, and had reoccurring roles in Mare of Easttown, Devs, and The First Lady. The actor is currently filming Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley's memoir Elvis and Me. Coppola had Spaeny as her top choice for Priscilla from the film's initial inception.

The new Alien project was picked up "purely off the strength of Alvarez's pitch," according to 20th Century president Steve Asbell via THR. “It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.”

Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.