Sébastien Vaniček Is Reportedly Developing a Separate ‘Alien’ Movie

The ‘Alien‘ franchise is currently experiencing one of its most active and perplexing periods in years, with several projects reportedly in development at 20th Century Studios. Fede Álvarez’s 2024 revival, ‘Alien: Romulus,’ has revitalized the series, achieving over $350 million in global box office revenue against a modest $80 million budget. The studio has been working diligently over the past year to strategize how to build on this success.

However, the journey has not been straightforward. Álvarez, who co-wrote the anticipated ‘Romulus’ sequel with his long-time collaborator Rodo Sayagues, stepped down from directing last September, remaining only as a producer. Since then, the studio has explored various potential directors, initially considering “Pig” director Michael Sarnoski before he became occupied with “Death Stranding,” and later approaching “Evil Dead Burn” filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček, whose negotiations with the studio ultimately fell through.

Now, as reported by World of Reel, Vaniček is reportedly linked to an entirely different ‘Alien’ project at 20th Century Studios, which is described as separate from the future of “Alien: Romulus 2.” This distinction is significant, given the complex nature of the franchise’s development slate in recent months, with multiple filmmakers seemingly working on unrelated films set within the same universe.

Vaniček is not the only writer-director currently developing a standalone ‘Alien’ project for the studio. Brian Duffield, recognized for “No One Will Save You” and the upcoming “Whalefall,” has also been reported to be crafting a film that would “somewhat distance itself” from ‘Romulus,’ according to earlier reports from World of Reel. Duffield has an established relationship with 20th Century, having co-written “Underwater” and received a credit on “Predator: Badlands,” providing the studio with multiple active pathways to expand the franchise beyond a direct ‘Romulus’ sequel.

Adding to the complexity, both leads from ‘Romulus’ have transitioned to high-profile Marvel projects. David Jonsson, who portrayed the android Andy, was announced as the new Black Panther during Marvel’s Hall H panel at Comic-Con, with “Black Panther 3” scheduled for December 2028. Cailee Spaeny, who played Rain, was also rumored for a role in Marvel’s upcoming “X-Men” film, although Marvel ultimately cast Inde Navarrette as Rogue at D23 instead.

Amid all this movement, 20th Century Studios has pushed back against claims that the ‘Romulus’ sequel has been completely shelved. Studio president Steve Asbell stated in August that the project has not been cancelled, despite the uncertainty surrounding its director and the status of its script following Álvarez’s departure and the failed negotiations with Vaniček.

Part of the tension surrounding the ‘Romulus’ follow-up reportedly stems from creative disagreements involving Ridley Scott, who produced the original film. Álvarez had intended to include Michael Fassbender’s android character David in the sequel, but Scott reportedly declined, wishing to reserve the character for his own potential future ‘Alien’ projects rather than pass him off to another director.

With Scott also developing his own ‘Covenant’ follow-up centered on David, Duffield reportedly writing a distancing standalone film, and now Vaniček seemingly attached to yet another project, 20th Century Studios appears to be pursuing multiple simultaneous ‘Alien’ storylines instead of a single unified sequel. Regardless of which film hits theaters first, it is clear that the franchise’s next chapter is being constructed from several different angles.

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