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“Near The End of this Century” – FX’s John Landgraf Talks Alien Series Time Setting

Ever since Noah Hawley’s Alien series was announced, the time that the series would be taking place has been a concern for many Alien fans. The regular use of the phrase “not too far future” or “near future” has been a worry that the series would be taking the place far earlier than the early 2100s that the first Alien takes place in. Thanks to recent comments from John Landgraf, those fans can stop worrying!

At FX’s Television Critics Association panel today, FX Chief John Landgraf addressed the Alien series’ timeframe when asked by Deadline if Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley would make an appearance in the show.

“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. Ripley won’t be a part of it or any of the other characters of Alien other than the alien itself.”

70-ish years would put the series in the 2090s which is actually closer to Prometheus in the timeline than it is Alien, and even before Alien: Covenant. Also, it’s interesting to note that the existence of Aliens during this time period also conflicts with the David/Alien creation angle that Ridley Scott was starting to set up in Alien: Covenant (much to this fan’s delight).

 "Near The End of this Century” - FX's John Landgraf Talks Alien Series Time Setting

Landgraf also went on to compare Noah Hawley’s work on the series Coen brothers’ film, or how James Cameron’s Aliens relates to the original Alien.

“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.”

Deadline also clarried that as of writing, five scripts have been completed for the Alien series and seems to suggest that the recent delays in the shooting of the series is actually because of Hawley’s other series, Fargo, needing to take precedence “given its Midwest setting.”

Thanks to TheBATMAN and Mikey for the heads-up! Keep your browsers locked on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien TV Series news! You can follow us on FacebookTwitter, Instagram and YouTube to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!



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Comments: 151
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  1. bobcunk
    Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Feb 17, 2022, 07:16:46 PM
    Well the show is still a prequel.  :laugh:

    I wonder what the Earth of the Alien universe will look like at the end of the 21st century. We get a little glimpse in a Covenant deleted scene of what it looks like in the early 22nd century.


    It's not canon anyway, and has no relevance to this project, which makes me very curious to learn if it's going to be 'Used Future', like the original Alien, or more like 'Everything Is an iPod in the Future' , like in Prometheus.

    Can't it be both? Maybe the used rusted blade runner style cities are the slums and the super hitech Star trek ones are just in different parts of the world. The ships and tech in Prometheus were privately owned and probably the best and most expensive you an buy where ass the ship in alien was like an old obsolete tractor that was pieced together from junk and used for farming in a 3rd world country.
  2. Nightmare Asylum
    On Yutani, though, thinking back to the couple years we had post-Prometheus release, pre-Covenant announcement, I always kind of imagined that a potential Prometheus sequel could actually deal with a Yutani-fronted return expedition to LV-223, perhaps even with the revelation that a Yutani vessel had intercepted Weyland's plans prior to Prometheus and had been following the Prometheus to LV-223 in the first place, arriving some time after everything in the film went down.

    The Quiet Eye viral really seemed to imply some sort of sleuthing going on on Yutani's end, prying into Weyland Industries matters at the time.
  3. Nightmare Asylum
    If this is set when they are saying it is set, and Hawley is telling the truth about the company already being Weyland-Yutani and not just Weyland, then Peter Weyland is already dead on LV-223.

    Also, it seems to me that Weyland-Yutani isn't really the main corporation this series is focusing on. A new company called Prodigy is. So unless it is directly correlated to Prodigy's exploits, I'm not sure how relevant a Weyland or a Yutani would be in this particular series, unless we end up seeing the two corporations engaged in some sort of direct rivalry (or collaboration between them, I guess).
  4. Nightmare Asylum
    Just a thought but, presumably (if elements of the prequels are indeed being retconned here, and the two films are not actually being knocked straight out of the continuity), I'd imagine this will likely have to be set in the latter portion of the 2090s, since the company is still Weyland Industries earlier in the decade in Prometheus and Weyland-Yutani doesn't come about until at least a few years later, before the launch of the Covenant prior to Alien: Covenant's start, and Hawley keeps explicitly referring to the company as Weyland-Yutani when talking about it in regards to this show. I wonder if maybe we might actually be seeing the merger happen here in the show, or if Weyland-Yutani will already be established from the get go?

    Of course, if Prometheus and Covenant are full on getting dropped from the continuity on the whole, then none of these details would be relevant and Weyland-Yutani could have existed for decades prior to the start of this show if they really wanted to go that route.
  5. [cancerblack]
    Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Feb 24, 2022, 12:38:25 AM
    Quote from: [cancerblack] on Feb 23, 2022, 10:52:22 PM
    Quote from: Kradan on Feb 21, 2022, 05:31:45 AM
    Ok, what are the odds they'll squeeze some Ripley reference in here ?

    "Oh look, it's Ripley's mother  ! And she's a Colonial Marine ! ISN'T THIS EXCITING !?"

    Nah, Ripley is the main guy's sister put in a new body a few decades later. All that time being stored as an uploaded consciousness meant her memories were mostly corrupted, but come to the fore when she fights aliums.

    Oh man so this directly ties in to android Ripley from the Perry novelizations of the original trilogy of DH comics then!

    It ties into that, and the novel where she comes back between movies then gets mind wiped. It's a very utilitarian piece of bullshit.
  6. Nightmare Asylum
    Quote from: [cancerblack] on Feb 23, 2022, 10:52:22 PM
    Quote from: Kradan on Feb 21, 2022, 05:31:45 AM
    Ok, what are the odds they'll squeeze some Ripley reference in here ?

    "Oh look, it's Ripley's mother  ! And she's a Colonial Marine ! ISN'T THIS EXCITING !?"

    Nah, Ripley is the main guy's sister put in a new body a few decades later. All that time being stored as an uploaded consciousness meant her memories were mostly corrupted, but come to the fore when she fights aliums.

    Oh man so this directly ties in to android Ripley from the Perry novelizations of the original trilogy of DH comics then!
  7. razeak
    +1 for making David a fellow that rediscovers the alien.

    -1 for what kind of half baked nonsense I fear will make David look way better lol


    Either way, I'm excited to see what happens. Would have preferred the Reipley era personally for the aesthetic, but hopefully they don't go too far off the rails.
  8. Immortan Jonesy
    Quote from: St_Eddie on Feb 20, 2022, 04:13:37 PM
    Quote from: Kradan on Feb 20, 2022, 03:43:12 PM
    Quote from: St_Eddie on Feb 20, 2022, 12:23:37 PM
    fanboy wet dream

    I guess that's the part that might trigger some people

    I see.  I wasn't trying to say that people who liked the references and nods in Fargo are fanboys, rather that the writers were acting like fanboys by including the references and nods in the first place.

    Sorry if I misunderstood what was said above.




    Quote from: [cancerblack] on Feb 20, 2022, 07:58:58 PM
    Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Feb 20, 2022, 12:49:20 PM
    Being a condescending Dick to people who like what you don't like is much disgusting and pathetic.

    This is ridiculously hyperbolic, Jonesy.

    Fair enough.
  9. St_Eddie
    Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Feb 20, 2022, 12:49:20 PM
    Quote from: St_Eddie on Feb 20, 2022, 12:23:37 PM
    Well, we will have to agree to disagree then because all I saw was endless cases of "ooohhh, 'member Big Lebowski? Ooohhhhh yeah! I 'member Big Lebowski" and the likes.  I rolled my eyes every single time, which is a shame because when the series was doing its own thing, it was often great.

    It also didn't make a great deal of sense that the TV series was set in the same universe as the original Fargo (and apparently every other Coen Brothers film?), given that Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) was a clear replication of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) from the film.  Also, the very notion of tying all of the Coen Brothers' filmography together and making some kind of Marvel-esque CBCU (Coen Brothers Cinematic Universe) fanboy wet dream makes me throw up a little bit of sick within my mouth.

    Being a condescending Dick to people who like what you don't like is much disgusting and pathetic.

    How was I being a condescending dick?  I simply gave my two cents on the matter.  The target of my derision was certain creative choices made by those behind the TV show Fargo, not anyone on the forum.  Find one part of my post where I insulted anyone for not sharing my point of view.
  10. Immortan Jonesy
    Quote from: St_Eddie on Feb 20, 2022, 12:23:37 PM
    Well, we will have to agree to disagree then because all I saw was endless cases of "ooohhh, 'member Big Lebowski? Ooohhhhh yeah! I 'member Big Lebowski" and the likes.  I rolled my eyes every single time, which is a shame because when the series was doing its own thing, it was often great.

    It also didn't make a great deal of sense that the TV series was set in the same universe as the original Fargo (and apparently every other Coen Brothers film?), given that Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) was a clear replication of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) from the film.  Also, the very notion of tying all of the Coen Brothers' filmography together and making some kind of Marvel-esque CBCU (Coen Brothers Cinematic Universe) fanboy wet dream makes me throw up a little bit of sick within my mouth.

    Being a condescending Dick to people who like what you don't like is much disgusting and pathetic.
  11. St_Eddie
    Well, we will have to agree to disagree then because all I saw was endless cases of "ooohhh, 'member Big Lebowski? Ooohhhhh yeah! I 'member Big Lebowski" and the likes.  I rolled my eyes every single time, which is a shame because when the series was doing its own thing, it was often great.

    It also didn't make a great deal of sense that the TV series was set in the same universe as the original Fargo (and apparently every other Coen Brothers film?), given that Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) was a clear replication of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) from the film.  Also, the very notion of tying all of the Coen Brothers' filmography together and making some kind of Marvel-esque CBCU (Coen Brothers Cinematic Universe) fanboy wet dream makes me throw up a little bit of sick within my mouth.
  12. BlueMarsalis79
    I actually don't agree with that, he does it in such a way that it does not feel like that at all, it's either a core part of the plot, or just connective tissue that makes it feel like it takes place in the same continuity even if it does not focus on it at all.
  13. St_Eddie
    The connections to the Coen Brothers' filmography in the Fargo TV series are surface level 'member berries and easily the worst part of the show.  Fanboyism at its most pathetic.
  14. Immortan Jonesy
    Both, the series and the movie are set in the same universe. However, I'd say the Fargo anthology is kinda more about the Coen's universe as a whole, and not just the Fargo movie, and usually each season includes a "mystery", like the rain of fish in season 1, the UFOs in the second one and a random pagan cult in the third season.
  15. BlueMarsalis79
    Basically the later Seasons do not.

    And Legion connects to X-Men barely, mostly doing their own thing like, although we get a wink and a nod to Patrick Stewart's incarnation of Professor Charles Xavier once in Season 1, 2 and 3 create their own incarnation better suited to their story, even if tangentially connected to the Fox incarnation.

    The nature of the main character changing reality just by existing allows them to have their cake and eat it in that particular way.

    But yes so far, Noah Hawley takes the opposite approach of taking every opportunity to remind you something's part of a larger established franchise, with the rarest exception.
  16. Nightmare Asylum
    The first season of Fargo (the only one I've seen, mind you) does connect to the Coen Brothers' film:

    Spoiler
    The money that is buried in the movie resurfaces in the show.
    [close]

    I can't yet speak for later seasons, or for Legion and any direct connections that may or may not have with the various X-Men movies.

    As for this show, it seems like it is being pretty directly billed as a story set before Alien, and thus placing it within the same continuity as the films (albeit with no direct word yet on whether it is running parallel to [and retconning parts of?] the prequel films, or flat out knocking them out of continuity), but outside of the presence of the Aliens (and maybe Engineers/Space Jockeys?) and Weyland-Yutani, I can't imagine anything in this late 21st century Earth setting that would directly link up with events, characters, etc. from the original film.
  17. DaveT937
    Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Feb 19, 2022, 11:00:28 AM
    Quote from: DaveT937 on Feb 18, 2022, 10:17:12 PM
    Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Feb 18, 2022, 04:57:12 PM
    They should just have let Ridley do the third and last prequel and let him put David in the jockey suit so that we can all have peace and harmony in Alien fandom land.
    No. No they shouldn't. There would be no 'peace and harmony in Alien fandom land' if that's the route they go down. There would be total and utter f**king anarchy.

    I was joking of course.

    I believe the Corporal is on record as saying he'll be quitting the fandom if that happens.  :laugh:
    Sincere apologies. It was lost on me last night as I'd had a bit to drink! Ha!
  18. David Weyland
    For all we know this series' agenda could possibly be a build up to dovetailing into Ridley's third prequel with a slow burn on Earth the first few episodes for world building etc

    To have it set in and around the time the Prometheus is on its way to LV223 makes me wonder if that's the plan

    So I wouldn't rule out the prequel story of David as creator (of at least the lv426 xenos) as being retconned just yet

    They could make something truly engaging if it lead up into the third prequel somehow rather than just muddying the waters with what might be an enjoyable sure but an unrelated retake just to celebrate the Monster if you will at the expense of anything connected

    That is ok for a series but what then?
    You'd still have the Covenant floating unresolved in perpetuity on its way to Orgiae 6.
    Could easily write the two most recent Alien films out in a script but that would be an admission of failure that I don't think the prequels quite deserve and would damage the franchise regardless of whether you like them or not, so I'm not too worried about this series changing the lore because I think the respect will be there not to or at least tie into them(As same time period) to do so and thus if successful, lead back into another film

    PS. It'll probably be about a down on his luck cyborg dude who finds an urn of black goo in a cave in Thailand and takes it home to Eastern Europe and turns into a Xeno, kills a few people, site nuked from orbit. The end
  19. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯
    Quote from: DaveT937 on Feb 18, 2022, 10:17:12 PM
    Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Feb 18, 2022, 04:57:12 PM
    They should just have let Ridley do the third and last prequel and let him put David in the jockey suit so that we can all have peace and harmony in Alien fandom land.
    No. No they shouldn't. There would be no 'peace and harmony in Alien fandom land' if that's the route they go down. There would be total and utter f**king anarchy.

    I was joking of course.

    I believe the Corporal is on record as saying he'll be quitting the fandom if that happens.  :laugh:
  20. Xenomrph
    Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 18, 2022, 06:10:03 AM
    Quote from: Xenomrph on Feb 18, 2022, 03:13:48 AM
    Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 17, 2022, 06:54:39 PM
    Quote from: TheBATMAN on Feb 17, 2022, 06:45:08 PM
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadline.com/2022/02/alien-fx-series-sigourney-weaver-ripley-1234955817/amp/

    Takes place around the same time as Prometheus.

    It's going to take place before David created the aliens?

    David did not create the Aliens.

    Because Ozymandias?
    Among other reasons.

    If the new series is going to recontextualize Alien Covenant and throw the "David is the creator" nonsense in the trash, that's absolutely a good thing.
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