MOVIE NEWS – With the success of Alien: Romulus, the latest entry in the Alien franchise directed by Fede Álvarez, known for Don’t Breathe, fans are naturally eager to know if Álvarez will return for a sequel. Good news for these fans: Álvarez has a promising response. In fact, he mentioned that he could pitch a sequel right now if needed.

Álvarez spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about his new film, which has made a significant impact at the box office, surpassing $100 million worldwide. Set between the first two films of the Alien series, Alien: Romulus is already being recognized as one of the best sequels in the franchise’s history. It currently holds an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it just below classics like Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), and is effectively on par with Ridley Scott’s most recent works.

Although Romulus has just premiered, any discussions about a sequel are still speculative. However, Álvarez addressed a crucial question about the potential for a sequel amid the film’s success:

“Yes, I definitely can. We tend to do that naturally, not even thinking about sequels. For us, movies have not become franchises, tentpoles, and sequels. This is a language that I’ve only learned in the last ten years of my life working here. For me, it’s always been about the story. So, once we finished, we started thinking, ‘What do you think happens when or if they get to your Yvaga? Is it going to be great? Or is it a terrible place?’ We tend to believe it’s probably a terrible place that they think is great and fantasize about, so we naturally started thinking about where it goes and what’s going to happen. And then, a few minutes in, we go, ‘Oh, that sounds like a sequel.’”

By “Yvaga,” Álvarez refers to the planet the colonists are trying to escape to in Alien: Romulus. The film follows Rain Carradine, a working-class member of a mining colony who plans an escape from the planet’s harsh conditions. Other colonists suggest they could reach Yvaga if they can get to the abandoned cryostasis pods on a spacecraft orbiting their planet. They just need the assistance of her android brother. Rain agrees to the plan, and upon boarding the ship, they soon discover why it was abandoned: it harbors a colony of xenomorphs. But that’s not their only issue; the creatures seem to be connected to a certain android’s agenda.

Álvarez further discusses the potential for a sequel in his conversation with THR:

“We really try to think about it more in terms of story and if it needs another chapter and whether people want to know what happens next. So we’ll wait to see what people think and if people ask for it. My philosophy is that you should never make [a sequel] in two years. You’ve got to get away. You’ve got to get the audience to really want it. If you think about Alien and Aliens, there’s seven years between them. But we definitely have ideas about where it should go.”

Despite its success (it knocked Deadpool & Wolverine off the top of the box office charts), the film has sparked considerable debate. Some critics have accused it of being sacrilegious for reviving a legacy character through controversial methods (though in reality, it’s not the same character).

Álvarez, a visionary horror director, also deviated from the norm with his previous franchise sequel. In Evil Dead (2013), Álvarez largely abandoned humor in favor of a dread-filled atmosphere that made the film a terrifying experience. In Alien: Romulus, he pays homage to previous films in a subtle, almost unrecognizable way (for those not familiar with the franchise); it represents a unique take on the series that bends Ridley Scott’s original creation and ultimately becomes an outstanding space horror film.

Source: MovieWeb