As Noah Hawley continues the press rounds for the fifth season of Fargo, the press continues to ask him about the Alien series which is expected to resume filming later this month or in February. Talking to Collider, Hawley discussed how the story will encompass multiple seasons and not be a limited one-and-done narrative.
“I think that endings are what gives a story meaning, and so you should never start a story without some sense of where it’s going because then you can really build that meaning into it. With Legion, I had what felt like a three-act structure to it that I didn’t know if that would be three seasons or five seasons, or whatever it was, but I sort of knew what a beginning, middle, and end was.
And here, similarly, I knew that their desire was for a recurring series, not a limited series, and I had an idea that I was excited about, that I could see the escalation of it from one year to another. That’s where we ended up not pitching them having a bible or pitching them blow-by-blow, but saying, “Big picture: this is the first movement, this is the second movement, and we’re ultimately going here.”
“I had an idea that I was excited about, that I could see the escalation of it from one year to another.”
Hawley also addressed that despite FX’s desire for an Alien series with multiple seasons, the studio has also been very trusting of Hawley and will let the series end when the story comes to a natural conclusion, emphasizing the desire for “quality, not quantity.”
“Obviously, they trust me after all these years, and the writing was on the page for the first year. So, in success, you tell the story and tell the story until the story is done. They’re very good at that at FX, of not wanting you to milk something that feels like it’s over. Legion, for me, I thought ended quite elegantly in that last season with a sort of perfect circle, literally back to the opening image. If they’d said we want one more season, now you’ve got a detour and you’ve gotta sort of add a thing that’s not organic to the full story. It’s just better if the story itself can drive how long it is. We want quality, not quantity.”
In addition to showrunning and writing for Fargo and Legion, Noah Hawley has also directed a number of episodes for both shows in addition to his own feature film “Lucy in the Sky.” When asked if Hawley would also be directing any episodes of the Alien series, Hawley told Collider that that decision was still up in the air following the recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
“I think that’s a hard one just because we had the strike, so we’re figuring that out. But it’s thrilling to get behind the camera again, and to get behind the camera on this and to do something that’s much bigger and in the science fiction genre, playing with the elements that we all know from Alien. It’s really thrilling.”
Noah Hawley. Credit: New York Times.
Earlier this week Noah Hawley was also interviewed by KCRW’s ‘The Business,’ where he spoke about how the prequel films would – or more accurately wouldn’t – play into the depiction of the Aliens in the upcoming series.
“Ridley and I have talked about this — and many, many elements of the show,” Hawley says. “For me, and for a lot of people, this ‘perfect life form’ — as it was described in the first film — is the product of millions of years of evolution that created this creature that may have existed for a million years out there in space. The idea that, on some level, it was a bioweapon created half an hour ago, that’s just inherently less useful to me.”
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I kind of wish that Noah's Alien series was also an anthology series (different seasons with different stories and characers) like Fargo instead of an ongoing story.
But i will just wait and see what he has to deliver.
This may be.
He has also written quite good alien novels in the past.
But he is also the author of one of the worst AvP novels in which he repeatedly describes the alien as stupid.
Furthermore, he also did this in a very offensive way in AvpR's behind the scenes.
I have the impression that as his work progressed he became more "in love" with the Predator and placed him above things in a very clichéd way.
Not that I care about the whole crossover stuff, but when people get involved in a franchise where there are two strong fan sites and insult one side of it, I find that worrying.
In general, one can say that too many wrong decisions have already been made, especially in the AvP area, and Steve Perry is one of them...
Isolation was between Alien and Aliens and that worked, so it's not impossible. I want post Alien3 stuff, but I'll take anything post Alien. I really doubt the pre Alien and Earth setting are a studio thing. This reeks of a creative "just 'cause" decision. I'm hoping to dear lord that they don't specifically talk about the timeline in the show, about what happened before or after, make it as contained as possible so that I can try and head canon this to post Alien3 shenanigans (though a whole city and the Earth setting suggest they have no intention of doing that....).
He is an author, wrote arguably the best Predator novel. "Predator: Turnabout" Or they are talking about the American singer-songwriter, however that seems less likely considering where we are.
Depends on the context, I suppose. It's just that his decisions and ideas have been the subject of considerable criticism lately, so I took it as negative.
That's highly offensive to people with ADHD.
I prefer completed series that end on a high note with a good ending.
However, there are only very few of them and many are hired open-ended due to increasing disinterest.
I'm really looking forward to the Alien series but I'm also worried that the story probably won't fit into the currently existing Alien universe and we'll end up with another confusing timeline.
The Alien role-playing game has excellently linked the entire collection of Alien films and secondary stories such as Alien Isolation.
If Hawley went his own personal way and reinvented everything, so to speak, it wouldn't be helpful.
Yeah, pretty much.
At the end of the day, Prodigy City and the Aliens in it need to be erased/eradicated, or else that would open a can of worms when it comes to continuity.
Romulus also being sandwiched between Alien and Aliens..
Regardless - the show is definitely gonna end with that city being nuked + a coverup.
I'm not too worried atm. Noah's writing is solid. Alien Resurrection (but unironically good) is sort of the tone i'm expecting from this.
ie. Star Trek JJ Abrahms films but that was ok coz that's Star Trek & that's what Star Trek does.
But when previous film entries in a franchise are negated or made foolhardy in its endeavours as a result then that's game over for me
Choosing this moment on the Alien timeline and setting it on Earth just reeks of wanting to tear things up.
So it might be him. He's been here before.
Don't Stop Believin' Steve Perry or Shadows of the Empire Steve Perry?
Holy crap, are you the actual Steve Perry?
I'm saying this way too much lately, but...
...what.
wars people Marines, Marshals and maybe Yautja / Predators, Reapers vs Aliens maybe Red Aliens, King Alien, Predalien, Space Jockeys, Bad Blood Killer Yautja, Amengi
This is why I fear it'll turn into Caprica.
@Xenomorphine
An anthology series could dodge that easily enough.
I also like bigger story's, but I'm not sure the material would warrant more than two seasons if its a linked story. I'd imagine it would turn into some kind of Weyland Yutani wicked corporation drama and the Alien would just be background noise to Burk esk baddies running around and android reveals.
Me too
I'll never forgive them.
I miss Raised By Wolves.
It's already happened to the films!
I had been expecting anthology potential. And I do think it could work. Probably better than any real on-going series. But I also like the idea of a 2-3 season show.
Each season being a seperate and contained story.