Alien: Romulus/Production

Production

Development

After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox confirmed at the 2019 CinemaCon that future Alien films were in development. In March 2022, it was reported that Fede Álvarez would write and direct a seventh Alien film after pitching his own story, said to be "unconnected" to the previous films in the franchise, with the project set to be released on Hulu. Álvarez later clarified that the film was not a standalone story. The film was said to take place between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), with some technical crew members returning from the latter film.

The film features connections and references to all of the six prior Alien films—Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), and Alien: Covenant (2017)—in some capacity. In particular, the film ties directly to Alien and Prometheus, with Weyland-Yutani recovering the xenomorph that attacked Ellen Ripley in Alien from the USCSS Nostromo, an android named Rook who physically resembles Ash from the first film, and the "black goo" from Prometheus that gives birth to a human–xenomorph hybrid resembling an Engineer from Prometheus and the creature from the ending of Resurrection. Rook appears via an animatronic with the likeness of the late Ian Holm, who previously portrayed Ash. Álvarez confirmed the connections to Prometheus and stated that the hybrid's resemblance to the Engineers was intentional; this was done to bridge the gap between the prequels and the original films. The film also draws inspiration from the video game Alien: Isolation (2014). This involved integrating the emergency phone registration points from the game into the film's set design. These phones, which functioned as save points in the game, serve as easter eggs that foreshadow impending danger for the audience. The pregnancy of character Kay was inspired by Dina from The Last of Us Part II (2020) due to Álvarez playing the game while writing the film.

Casting

By November 2022, Cailee Spaeny had entered negotiations to star. In March 2023, Isabela Merced was set to co-star opposite Spaeny. Later that month, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu joined the cast. Renaux also auditioned for Jonsson's role and was secretly cast in December 2022; while Fearn was cast in February 2023 after two quick self tapes.

Filming

Principal photography took place in Budapest from March 9 to July 3, 2023, utilizing unique locations including a working power plant for the Jackson's Star mining colony. Production designer Naaman Marshall aimed to reinterpret the Alien world while honoring the franchise's legacy, particularly the first two films in the series. As such, the Romulus section of the Renaissance space station was designed to be reminiscent of the set design seen in the film Alien and the video game Alien: Isolation, influenced by the original Alien concept art by Ron Cobb, as well as industrial heavy-lift machinery and vehicles. Meanwhile, the more advanced Remus section was designed to be reminiscent of the production design depicted in the film Aliens. Sets were built as enclosed spaces, with the cockpit of the Corbelan IV hauler built on a gimbal to simulate flight.

The film was filmed chronologically and emphasized practical effects, using physical sets and creature designs to enhance realism. This approach focused on creating a tangible, immersive experience, contrasting with the heavier reliance on CGI in modern productions. To that end, effects companies Legacy Effects, Studio Gillis, and Wētā Workshop created the film's practical adult Xenomorphs, chestbursters and facehuggers, respectively, and the production would alternate between using animatronics, rod puppets or creature suits depending on the amount of movement required for the shot. The Xenomorph was made to more closely resemble H. R. Giger’s original Alien design from the first film, rather than designs from the sequels. Filmefex Studios created the prosthetic makeup for the actors as well as the film's dead bodies, while a sequence showing time lapse security footage of a rat being crushed and regenerated was stop motion animation created by Phil Tippett. One notable design element is the pulse rifle, which merges features from the original Alien flamethrower and the Aliens pulse rifle. This hybrid design reflects the film's intent to blend elements from both films, creating something familiar yet new.

Cinematographer Galo Olivares shot the film using Arri Alexa 35 digital cameras with Arri Master Prime and Ultra Prime aspheric lenses for a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. This was chosen to be a visual balance between Alien, which was shot using anamorphic lenses in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and Aliens, which was filmed using aspheric lenses for a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Olivares would begin filming scenes with wide angle lenses, and gradually switch to increasingly longer lenses as scenes became more intense, with a 75mm lens being the longest lens used. Álvarez selected an orange hue as the film's defining color, diverging from the blue tones of earlier "Alien" films. This choice aimed to give the film a distinct visual identity while maintaining a connection to the franchise's established aesthetic.

Álvarez consulted Alien director Ridley Scott and Aliens director James Cameron during the film's production, who both expressed approval.

Post-production

The film's computer generated imagery was created by effects studios Industrial Light and Magic, Fin Design, Image Engine, Tippett Studio, Wētā FX, Wylie Co., Atomic Arts, and Metaphysic.

Visual effects artist Ian Hunter created miniature effects for the film, including the spaceship Corbelan IV and the Weyland-Yutani Echo probe. These effects would be either filmed directly, or scanned into a computer for CGI modeling. Originally the miniatures were only designed work as visual effect aids, however, the miniatures were eventually built, painted and finished by effects company Studio Gillis and shot in front of full screens and smoke. Filming of miniatures took place in Los Angeles to facilitate the required stage space, crew members and amenities.