New Alien film recruits Prisoners writer Aaron Guzikowski
New Alien film recruits Prisoners writer Aaron Guzikowski
A new Alien film is in early development at 20th Century Studios, with Prisoners screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski writing and Ridley Scott producing. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on 23 October, and TheWrap separately reported that it had learned of the project. No director is attached, and the reports do not announce a release date for either UK or US audiences.
Scott is producing through Scott Free alongside Michael Pruss, with J.R. Young overseeing the project for the studio. The appointment reunites Scott and Guzikowski after Raised by Wolves, the science-fiction television series created by Guzikowski. It establishes a writing and producing team, but leaves the film's cast, story and production timetable open.
The connection to earlier Alien films remains a reported detail
The Hollywood Reporter says the project is related to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the two Alien films Scott directed in the 2010s, rather than being a sequel to 2024's Alien: Romulus. Its sources identify Michael Fassbender's android as the connecting element. The outlet also explicitly says Fassbender is not attached at this stage, so the report should not be treated as a casting announcement.
That distinction is not settled equally across the coverage. Deadline confirmed Guzikowski's involvement but said it was not yet known whether the film would follow Romulus. TheWrap attributed the connection to the prequels to The Hollywood Reporter. The shared news is that another Alien project has a writer; the more specific continuity details remain dependent on the original outlet's sources.
A reunion after Raised by Wolves
Guzikowski's best-known feature screenplay is Prisoners, Denis Villeneuve's 2013 thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. His previous collaboration with Scott took a different direction: Raised by Wolves followed androids bringing up human children after Earth's destruction. Deadline notes that the HBO Max series ran for two seasons.
Scott executive produced that series and directed its opening two episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Their new collaboration therefore brings an existing creative relationship into Alien, although it does not establish that Scott will direct this film. His reported role currently remains that of producer.
Another project in an active slate
TheWrap reports that Guzikowski is also working on an original science-fiction film for director Jon Watts at 20th Century, an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story for Sony Pictures and an animated Death Stranding feature based on Hideo Kojima's game. Those projects provide a picture of his current workload, but the coverage gives no filming order or timetable for the new Alien script.
The franchise's most recent film, Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus, took more than $350 million worldwide, according to Deadline. Its commercial performance supplies context for continued development, but this report does not announce another finished sequel or a cinema booking. For viewers on either side of the Atlantic, the next concrete details would be a director, casting and a release plan. None is supplied by the current reports.