Sequel to Alien: Romulus reportedly axed
Pressed in a recent interview, a longtime Scott collaborator said the planned follow-up has hit a snag — and it’s not simply down to the director’s diary.
If you thought the Alien franchise was finally back on solid ground after Fede Álvarez delivered Alien: Romulus in 2024, brace yourself. Just as fans were rallying behind the idea of yet another Xenomorph outing, the sequel's fate has been thrown into proper chaos—possibly scrapped altogether, and for reasons only Hollywood could dream up.
Ridley Scott received an Honorary Award from the Academy in 2026, recognising his impact on cinema and four decades of genre-spanning hits.
The Alien Machine Since 1979
Since kickstarting the entire franchise with 1979's Alien, Ridley Scott has been one of the most recognisable—and bankable—names in the business. He sits in the top ten of highest-grossing directors in history, and his trophy cabinet's groaning under the weight of four Oscar nominations, and two wins each at the Emmys and Golden Globes just in the 21st century. On top of the numbers, the Academy finally gave him an Honorary Award in 2026 (only took them about four decades, but never mind).
Of course, it's not just space horror: this is the man behind Blade Runner, Gladiator, The Martian, and a stack of other big-budget treats. But it’s the Alien saga that keeps coming back, shifting shape with each new director.
Box Office Bounce – and then a Bust-Up
For the most recent reboot, Fede Álvarez took the director's chair, helming Alien: Romulus in 2024. This one mixed up the usual DNA—a group of space colonists stuck on a mining planet, desperate to get out, only to wander onto an abandoned space station crawling with new Facehuggers and Xenomorphs. Audiences lapped it up. The film made a hefty $350.9 million globally at the box office off just an $80 million budget.
Alien: Romulus grossed over $350 million worldwide on a budget of just $80 million.
Why No Romulus 2?
No surprise then that talk of a sequel picked up pace. But according to a recent report from World of Reel, the brakes have slammed on. 20th Century has put any Romulus follow-up on ice—there's no timeline, no firm plan, and reportedly, it might not ever happen at all. Lovely.
What's caused all this drama? It's more than just the usual Hollywood wrangling. Álvarez, who'd already started steering development of the sequel, wanted to bring back Michael Fassbender's synthetic character David (central in Prometheus and Covenant). Fassbender was apparently very close to signing on after reading the first completed script. But here's the kicker: Ridley Scott wasn't having it. He didn’t want David—his own creation—used by another director, and reportedly vetoed the idea. That pushed Álvarez and his creative team to drop the whole sequel project in pre-production and focus elsewhere.
Now, as things stand, there's officially no movement on any Romulus sequel from 20th Century or anyone involved. The project is indefinitely shelved, with not a single Xenomorph in sight.