As we continue to get treated with looks at more behind the scenes materials, one of our favorite phases of a new film’s release, LA Weekly has just published an an extensive editorial on the effects work which brought the creatures to life in Alien: Romulus.
In the excellently written and in-depth article on the film’s contributions of Legacy Effects – the reformed practical effects studio by Stan Winston’s protégés, studio co-founder Shane Mahan offered insight into the creative and technical journey for Romulus.
Mahan explained how the pre-production development process for practical effects studios has been streamlined by advancing technology such as digital sculpting and 3D printing:
“The fact that we sculpt in a computer, and rapidly prototype and print full-scale sections of bodies, as opposed to sculpting entirely by clay and making molds, we can engineer the mechanisms first and then skin them with the digital sculpts afterwards,” states Mahan. “I mean you don’t have to retrofit the mechanisms into the art. We can work around it and bypass a problem. There are so many things that we can do, on a shorter production timeline, using the technology that’s available to streamline the process. People don’t realize just how much we use digital work on our side of things to create physical effects. We don’t do CGI shots, but we’re using an awful lot of digital technology to create the creatures. There’s still a great deal of hand sculpting, absolutely, for prosthetic makeups and certain things that you need to have actual clay-to-surface construction, but the advancements are tremendous. Also, with telemetry-driven animatronics and very strong servos and computer systems that run those things, everything is really quite spectacular today.”
The article includes a bunch of new behind-the-scenes images from Alien: Romulus, courtesy of Legacy Effects. In a couple of the shots you can also spot our friend, effects artist Adam Milicevic, who recently illustrated a new apparel design for us.
Spoilers for Alien: Romulus follow below.
Mahan provides insight into the effects and influences of multiple elements including the Xenomorph, Offspring, the decimated corpse of the original ‘Big Chap’ Alien, and the android character ‘Rook.’
Rook was also explained to have been originally written as a female android character, something director Fede Álvarez also told us during our recently recorded upcoming podcast episode. It’s possible this explains the early casting rumors of actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Originally written as a random synthetic woman science officer, Legacy Effects simply would have just done a half-body torso makeup on a non-specific actress, and she would have acted like a torn-apart robot. As it were, Álvarez conjured up the idea of making the android look like the same model as Ash from the first Alien. As Mahan discloses, “It’s not Ash, but it’s the same model,” like a mass produced synthetic version of the same character.
Check out the full article over at LA Weekly, it’s well worth reading.
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(Still waiting for them to get a female performer inside just one of the damn suits, though...)
No.
Dunno about the comics, but two Xenomorphs in the recent novel Alien: Uncivil War are identified as male and female.
(Part of me wonders if Scorched could be very, very loosely gendered as a "she", going by the "Kane's Son" precedent.)
The website also confirms that scorched was a sub-adult when he came out of the cocoon, there are pictures of the queen-like head movements from the adult xenomorphs that Mike talked about and more pictures of the cocoon, including the animatronic hand that unfurls out of it.
Here's the link:
https://www.legacyefx.com/alien-romulus
It would look good against a black dome.
Have any toys ever reflected this? I think Neca just used the big chap sculpt and retooled the head and limbs.
Thanks Mike!
And yep, kind of heartbreaking to see the old alien, well that tiny portrayal of it I mean becoming the new Jesus.
You can count on me to purchase a full batch of that when ready. Message needs to be spread, indoctrination on future alien movie directors must begin. No scary alien portrayal seen since alien3. Make the alien scary again.
Every director has always had the design changed, plus giving a biological explanation to it (even resurrection, being those ADI aliens that fleshy looking because of the ADN changes when mixed with Ripley's).
Romulus is the only one that still haven't, although I'd say they are purely cosmetic and for the fans to catch, and that would be all.
It could be two different types of Warrior - or more changes during maturation of the same breed?
The two different Warriors may have been the same breed, but one was further along in their maturation than the other - either gaining, or losing the forearm blades with age (as with the dome, etc)?
MAKE ALIEN SCARY AGAIN!
It's either Scorched or a standard Xenomorph head that's been disassembled a little bit to work on the inner mechanisms. The dome being off and pieces being separated a bit make it look a little different than what we see when it's fully assembled.
Pp. 219, or pp 450 if one is reading the omnibus.
Big Chap's body is very accurate to the original movie, he is slightly more skinny here and the only real big difference is the tail.
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Xeno-SELECTS-70.jpg
I feel like this movie did the non human shaped legs the best, also appreciate the height, guess Isolation and DBD's height will now be the standard
They did appear in the novelization though.
I read it as saying this was an option used to accommodate time and budget concerns.
This caste is profiled in the RPG. It's known as the Worker, or the Weaver (snort).
In one of the earlier scripts. The albino would hang out in the hive, tending to the Queen's every need. It had a long sort of tongue - but without the fangs - this wasn't a warrior Alien.
I did not know that about Aliens? Which script??
The original ALIEN had the Space Jockey (even if it was a different species and was dead).
ALIENS (in a script) had the albino drones that collected the eggs (or whatever they did) - in addition to the Queen.
A3 had the Runner and Queen.
AR had the Aliens, Hybrid Queen, and her love child (Newborn).
We'll find out how it's portrayed in the comic book spinoff. Supposedly. Since this (hypothetical) film won't be made.
meant Designs for the typical adult xenomorph drone/warrior form.
Even if you don't count Queens and Newborns as different designs, AvPR has two very distinct Alien designs.
But even with them bringing him back it's a lose lose. I really am not sure I would have liked seeing him in another film. If they did decide to show him taking over the station. He had the perfect story.
If nothing else, it would have given fans more time to appreciate the classic Alien design - even if the film sucked.
Agreed. Big Chap should never have been brought back. ALIEN told his story brilliantly.
Just let the dude float in peace.
I wish the film was about Big Chap and his new stomping ground. Would have been more of the same, but it probably would have made for a better movie.
f**king lame.
Agreed. Now we can see him in greater detail. He looks rather pathetic, all torn up like that. Hard to believe he's the same creature that caused all that damage. Hope he went out like a champ and not a chump.
Looks like someone gave him a manicure.