20th Century Studios
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Alien: Romulus."
"Alien: Romulus" is the latest film in the "Alien" franchise. It follows Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her adopted android brother, Andy (David Jonsson), as they join a group of scavengers to raid a derelict space station.
They all work for the franchise's infamously powerful company, Weyland-Yutani, and they want to make a better life for themselves on a safer planet called Yvaga III.
But once they break in, they discover that Weyland-Yutani has used the station to experiment on Facehuggers and Xenomorphs, and they're forced to fight their way to safety.
"Evil Dead" director Fede Álvarez pushes the franchise further than it has gone before with a petrifying final act, which pits Rain and Andy against a gruesome Xenomorph/human hybrid, called the "Offspring" in the credits.
While fans saw something similar at the end of "Alien: Resurrection," the creature in the 2024 movie stands head and shoulders above the version from the 1997 film, both literally and metaphorically.
After using an asteroid belt to kill the monstrous creature, Rain and Andy settle into their stasis pods as the ship is on course for Yvaga III.
The dysfunctional siblings are the only surviving members of the crew, but at least they get a positive ending. There's no post-credits scene, but the story leaves the door open for an "Alien: Romulus" sequel.
20th Century Studios
Álvarez told The Hollywood Reporter that he and his co-writer, Rodo Sayagues, already have ideas for "Alien: Romulus 2" which revolve around Rain and Andy on Yvaga III.
"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?'" he said.
"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.'"
The director noted that he would only be interested in continuing the story if it "needs" telling, and "if people ask for it."
He added: "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."
Murray Close/20th Century Studios
Earlier on in the film, all the characters reference how Andy will not be welcome on the planet, which is free from Weyland-Yutani's control. The people on Yvaga III are so against androids that anyone who owns one is thrown in prison, which is why they originally planned to leave Andy behind.
A sequel could quite easily pick up on Yvaga III if the population is hostile to Rain and Andy. And although Rain killed the Offspring, something could've easily been left behind on their ship.
But whether it's a Xenomorph or a Facehugger could be left up to the writers' discretion. Maybe Weyland-Yutani will recover some of the Offspring's DNA and continue the twisted experiments.
If it continues to be successful at the box office, it's not hard to imagine that Disney executives will be keen on a sequel. (So far, it's off to a solid start and made $108 million in its opening weekend, per Forbes.)
Until then, however, Hulu is developing an "Alien" TV series from "Fargo" creator Noah Hawley. Titled, "Alien: Earth," the series is set 30 years before the events of Ridley Scott's original movie.
Little is known about the plot, but it includes "Andor" star Alex Lawther as CJ, a soldier, and Sydney Chance as Wendy, a woman with the body of an adult and the consciousness of a child. According to Deadline, "Fargo" season five star David Rysdahl is also in the cast as Kirsch, an android in charge of looking after Wendy.
