With Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus apparently scheduled to start principle photography February 6th 2023, we can expect to see more casting news or rumors’ over the coming months. According to DanielRPK, the scooper who first revealed the working title of Alien: Romulus, actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge is currently up for the role of Rook, a new synthetic character in Alvarez’s upcoming film!
Perhaps best known for her role as creator, lead writer, and star of the BBC produced sitcom Fleabag, Waller-Bridge is also no stranger to science-fiction or playing artificial people having voiced L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Likely a play on the name of chess piece (ala Bishop from Aliens), other Bishop model synthetic characters have been named Rook in Alien lore such as in Aliens: Colonial Marines and Broken, a short story from Aliens: Bug Hunt.
While news on the film has been generally quiet so far, back in November it was also reported that actress Cailee Spaeny was in talks to appear in Alien: Romulus as the film’s lead.
Thanks to Nightmare Asylum and Gimitko for the news! Keep your browsers locked on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien: Romulus news! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, 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!
Yeah, I'd imagine that the alphabetic naming convention is a thing of the past, which is honestly fine by me. It was cute, but not something that really stuck out to me as being pivotal in any way. Like you said, Rook seems to be functioning as a sort of companion name to Bishop, just as Walter [Hill] was to David [Giler].
I don't remember what her character was like in Solo, but she's the goddaughter of Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones⁵. I'll have to watch that one to find out!
I'm sooo tired of androids. I swear, if I was a director of an Alien movie, there would not be any AI at all.
Also suspect it's nothing more than a winking homage at Bishop, arguably the most fondly embraced of all the mainstream synthetic characters, over the years.
Can't say I'm familiar with any of the actor's performances, aside from 'Solo', but she does have that weirdly androgynous vibe Call had.
So it could be said that the only thing in common that she may have with David is the fact of being a synthetic person, right? I ask this because you know, she might a villain too.
I do like the ambiguous characters though.
The very end of The Cold Forge. Blue's new android vehicle's name IIRC
Ah well ok if that's the case
Actually I think it was Aliens Infestation maybe?
Appreciate budget dictates but bit of a shame Fassbender isn't returning to the role.
Super excited and delighted though if this is actually the third prequel
https://twitter.com/nacaomarveI/status/1608615844187078656
https://twitter.com/assisteagora/status/1608639741762887682
https://media.tenor.com/Yohpgk72ndMAAAAC/twin-peaks-hello.gif
I can confirm that the translation NA put in his OP is quite acurate:
I'm leaning towards "she will be equivalent of David in the next movie" reading of the quote
For some reason I imagine this girl being a heroine...and if she is an android, more like Call. But hey! I like plot twists😅
But aye, we better wait for confirmation
Anyway it would be kinda refreshing if the protagonist is a synthetic.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as an android in general strikes me as pretty interesting casting.
Also, Ruk? Is it derived from old English "rook", or does it originate from the Thai word for "loveable", or is it just a wink to the ancient android-creating android from Star Trek 1966 named Ruk? What's the point of deviating from the A,B,C,D android name formula? Sure, Walter broke it first, but what's the point in deviating even further?
I don't mind David being able to freely inhabit different android bodies as that makes him even more threatening and scary as it makes him harder to kill. I always liked the nightmarishly uncanny idea of W-Y unknowingly being run by David, as this omnipotent AI posing as this director or executive that no one has actually met in person. Like, Ash was actually David possessing the body of an ASH model synthetic on board the Nostromo. Having Ruk as the first new vessel of David would in that sense be interesting.
Just a thought.