According to the film and TV production tracking service ProductionList.com, the reboot of the iconic sci-fi franchise will commence filming on February 6 in Budapest, Hungary. The working title for the film is Alien: Romulus, which sounds a lot like a Star Trek film. The film, which is said to be “unconnected” to the previous films in the franchise, got the green light last March after Fede Alvarez pitched his own story. The Uruguayan filmmaker, who is best known for directing 2013’s supernatural horror film Evil Dead and 2016’s horror-thriller film Don’t Breathe, will have big shoes to fill. The Alien franchise, which began in 1979, was first directed by Ridley Scott, which was followed up by James Cameron in Alien 2 and David Fincher in Alien 3. Following Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien Resurrection in 1997, Ridley Scott returned to the franchise with the prequel series including Prometheus, Alien Covenant, and a third untitled prequel film. However, Alvarez will be very lucky to have Ridley Scott attached to his film since he will serve as the producer. Although details about the film have been kept under wraps, the latest casting news is that Cailee Spaeny will feature in the reboot. The Pacific Rim star is set to play the lead role in the film, following in the footsteps of other female leads in the franchise such as Sigourney Weaver, Noomi Rapace, and Katherine Waterston. Alvarez’s Alien reboot will hope to emulate the success of Prey. The Hulu original film by Dan Trachtenberg was the fifth installment in the Predator franchise and served as a prequel to the first four films. The movie received positive reviews from critics, with many calling it the best Predator installment since the first film. It also made a daring switch in casting with the lead role being changed into a female character, a move that a considerable number of fans didn’t like. However, fans of the Alien franchise can remain hopeful that the reboot will be given the attention it deserves since Disney seems to be going all in on the popular franchise. Two years ago, Disney announced that an Alien TV series was in development for FX on Hulu, with Fargo’s Noah Hawley attached to the project. The series, which will be set on Earth in the near future, will also start filming next year.
