How 'Alien: Romulus' Could Revitalize the 'Alien' Franchise

Alien: Romulus, the seventh installment in the Alien franchise (the ninth, if you want to include the Alien vs. Predator movies), follows a crew of space colonists who, upon exploring a derelict space station for equipment, must fight for survival against a ravenous horde of xenomorphs and face-huggers.

The movie -- directed by Fede Alvarez and starring Cailee Spaeney, David Jonsson, Isabella Merced, Aileen Wu, Archie Renaux and Spike Fearn -- scales things down to the foundational details of what made the original release work. In doing so, it revitalizes the franchise and has led many to speculate on the future within the Alien movie universe.

Sigourney Weaver became the face of the franchise as Ellen Ripley and played the character in the first four entries, as well as the video game Alien: Isolation. 

Through that time, the movie series lost its umph, focusing more on Ripley's enduring journey and less on the mysterious components of the monster threat that permeated Alien and James Cameron's epic sequel, Aliens. Each entry abandoned the terrifying solitude of outer space and lost sight of what made the originals so impactful.

Read more: Here's How 'Alien: Romulus' Respects and Disrupts the 'Alien' Franchise

Alien: Romulus rights the proverbial ship and brings the horror back to space. It may have been advertised as a standalone story, but Romulus does some work at connecting to the stories that came before it.

Narratively, it bridges the gap between Prometheus, Alien and Aliens. In fact, Romulus may do for the Alien franchise what Rogue One has done for Star Wars. 

There's a good chance Disney will move forward with another Alien movie, considering the steady interest in the property. Noah Hawley's Alien TV series, which will premiere in 2025, is set as a prequel story that takes place 30 years before Prometheus. Beyond that, there are some worthwhile directions new Alien stories can take on the big screen. 

Before I continue, please heed this spoiler warning: Alien: Romulus story details are featured below. If you haven't seen the movie and want to avoid spoilers, proceed with caution.

An Alien trilogy centered on Rain and Andy is probably in the cards

A sequel (and potential trilogy) centered on Rain (Spaeny) and Andy's (Jonsson) mission to start a new life away from Weyland-Yutani makes the most sense for the next steps in the Alien franchise. Neither character received closure in the final moments of Alien: Romulus, and there's a 56-year window between Alien and Aliens that is ripe for exploration.

There's also the question of the Prometheus Strain. The duo's interaction with the evil android Rook (Ian Holm) on the Romulus space station revealed the company's grander plans for the mysterious black goo. He attempted, and failed, to rewire Andy's prime directive to serve Weyland-Yutani's interest in the DNA material. But that stuff is still there, meaning the threat of more blood-thirsty xenomorphs must be close behind.

Let's remember that big third act. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Kay (Merced) injected the black substance into her neck to save her life. Instead, it sped up her pregnancy and led to the birth of a giant monstrous human/xenomorph/Engineer hybrid -- further connecting this plot to Prometheus. 

Are there more alien mutations in the cards? If Alien 3's dog xenomorph and the grotesque human/alien newborn creature in Alien: Resurrection are any hint, the answer would be a resounding yes.

Give Alien 3 the retcon treatment it deserves

Alien 3 finds Ellen Ripley crash-landing on an all-male prison planet. Not only are Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn) and 12-year-old Newt (Carrie Henn) dead, but a stowaway face-hugger gets loose and infects a dog, leading to the franchise's first-ever dog-like xenomorph. 

It's a game-changing visual that pushed the Alien canon into a surprising new direction. However, David Fincher's entry in the series is bogged down with pacing issues, non-cohesive plot points and unsatisfying xenomorph action sequences; the sequel mostly fumbles the ball.

Why not retcon the whole thing entirely? It worked for the Halloween movies. 

Cyberpunk icon William Gibson is one of the many writers who submitted a draft for Alien 3. His version gave an alternate take on the events that transpired post-Aliens.

Dark Horse's Aliens comic book run explored this period, as well. The books were viewed as a spiritual sequel to 1986's Aliens -- until Alien 3 came into existence and nullified the story choices made on the paneled page.

In what ways would things have changed if Hicks, Ripley's android Bishop (Lance Henrickson) and Newt survived? How does a xenomorph hive structure work? Would the inner workings of the Weyland-Yutani corporation make for an engaging story? These details have all been expanded on in various mediums -- why not bring these ideas to life on the big screen?

Make a proper Alien vs. Predator movie

The idea of a predator and xenomorph battling for alien supremacy sounds like a no-brainer on paper. Alien vs. Predator was enough of a box-office success to breed a sequel. It was critically panned, though, and 20th Century Studios ditched plans for future AvP installments. 

The AvP movies were all about fan service, like Freddy vs. Jason before it. In my opinion, the premise for both films were paper thin. But times can change. Thanks to Hulu's successful Predator prequel Prey, the idea of a franchise crossover sounds completely doable.

A sequel to Prey was announced earlier this year. If Romulus inspires a follow-up, one must wonder what plans Disney may have in store. Prey and Alien: Romulus are built from similar foundations, and came from the same studio. Each installment expands their respective story universes in new and exciting ways.

Is it possible these two creatures will meet on the battlefield once more? If it makes sense and is done right, why not?