“Alien” director Ridley Scott had simple instructions for “Alien: Romulus” director Fede Álvarez according to a note shared on Instagram by the latter. The typed note read, “Dear Fede, Good luck. Good health. Good hunting. Don’t f–k up. Very best wishes, Ridley Scott.”
The latest installment in the “Alien” franchise is the seventh mainline film and ninth in conjunction with the “Alien vs. Predator” crossover series, and is the first since Scott’s 2017 “Alien: Covenant.” Scott ceded directorial power to Álvarez following his last movie’s disappointing performance, but served as lead producer on the newest film.
“The danger of all franchises is they do die unless somebody suddenly decides to pick up the mat and run down the field with a ball,” Scott told the Los Angeles Times in August. “Fede is a surge of energy, and I had to step back and let him do it … Fede had a blueprint firm in his mind, and his script was pretty clear. It was also long, but the screenplay is always long. And so we got into that a little bit.”
Scott also kept his distance from Álvarez when it came to the latter’s vision. “It is hard work with anybody and their mother giving you advice — the last thing you want at a certain point is advice,” Scott explained. “I do not need advice. If I fall on my own sword and therefore lie bleeding, I say, ‘It was my fault.’ I hope Fede’s got another one up his sleeve because I think this is going to do really well.”
Cailee Spaeny and Isabela Merced star in “Romulus” as two young adults who hope to escape their home planet… but, of course, those plans go horribly awry.
“Romulus” is set between the events of “Alien” and “Aliens” and was originally slated as a Hulu-exclusive release. In a featurette released last month Spaeny said, “The Alien franchise holds such an iconic space in cinematic history. This story slips right in between ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’”
“There’s a lot of secrets, things they don’t know inside that ship, that will cost them dearly,” Álvarez added before Spaeny said, “This film brings all of the things we love from this franchise, so you know it’s going to be properly scary.”
