FX Confirms ‘Alien’ TV Series Is A Prequel & Won’t Include Any Previous Characters

Earlier today, it was announced that Noah Hawley is set to do a fifth season of “Fargo.” In fact, that is going to be the next series that he works on. So, what does that mean for his in-development “Alien” series? Well, according to FX, it’s still coming and is going to be pretty great. But “Fargo” comes first.

READ MORE: FX Bringing Back ‘Fargo’ For A Fifth Season

Speaking at FX’s TCA panel (via Deadline), FX boss John Landgraf talked about the upcoming “Alien” TV series from Noah Hawley and explained more about when/where the series will take place. And yes, he confirmed that Hawley will be working on “Fargo” Season 5 before he commits to production on “Alien,” which to fans of the franchise is a bit of a bummer. 

That said, the “Alien” TV series is coming along really well and will actually explore a time in the franchise that we really haven’t seen much of previously. But don’t expect to see Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) popping up.

“There are some big surprises in store for the audience,” said Landgraf. “‘Alien’ takes place before Ripley. It’s the first story that takes place in the ‘Alien’ franchise on Earth. So, it takes place on our planet. Right near the end of this century we’re in, so 70 odd years from now.”

READ MORE: Noah Hawley Says ‘Alien’ TV Series Is A “Reinvention” & Will Focus On Corporations Trying To Create Immortality

He added, “Ripley won’t be a part of it or any of the other characters of ‘Alien’ other than the alien itself…Noah has this incredible ability, and I think you’ve seen it with ‘Fargo,’ to both find a way of being faithful, showing fidelity to an original creation like a Coen brothers’ movie or in this case, Ridley Scott’s and James Cameron’s follow-up, ‘Aliens,’ but also to bring something new to the table that represents extension and reinvention of a franchise at the same time.”

For some reason, when I read about the “Alien” TV series and the approach Noah Hawley is taking to the franchise, it seems fun and exciting and in stark contrast to the franchise fodder that is being produced today. When you see things like what Disney+ is doing with “Star Wars,” where ‘Mandalorian’ and ‘Boba Fett’ is crawling with fan-service moments and surprise cameos, it’s a bit of a relief to know that the “Alien” TV series isn’t going to have a big Ripley scene at the end of Season 1. And there’s likely not going to be a cuddly baby Xenomorph who becomes a fan-favorite. 

Unfortunately, it’s going to be a little while before see any of it actually debut on FX.