What Happened at the ‘Alien Romulus’ SDCC Panel?

The Big Picture

• Alien: Romulus
  showcases practical effects and animatronics, adding to the authenticity of the film.
• The movie explores themes of siblinghood, focusing on the bond between characters in the face of terror.
• Alien: Romulus
  , releasing on August 16, 2024, shows the Xenomorph’s evolution like never before.

As the Alien series teaches us, in space, nobody can hear you scream. That may very well be true, but in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, everyone can hear you scream. The Friday festivities of Hall H concluded with a special look at Alien: Romulus — the next exciting chapter in the Alien saga and the first film in the series to be produced under the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ banner. Director Fede Álvarez and most of the cast of the upcoming film took the stage to not only discuss one of the year’s most anticipated horror films, but also show some behind-closed-doors footage of never-before-seen Alien: Romulus footage. The footage wasn’t posted online, but thankfully, we were in attendance and got to see the Xenomorph come to life like never before.

The panel opened with Alien: Romulus‘ new crew of characters exploring a derelict space station. Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and Navarro (Aileen Wu) find a destroyed science lab, while some of the other crew members are exploring a flooded part of the station. Little do they know that the latter section is filled with Facehuggers, and they promptly escape and start chasing the new group of human victims. Our heroes succeed in evading the horde, but one is able to sneak through and latch onto Navarro. The clip also definitively reveals that David Jonsson‘s character, Andy, will be Alien: Romulus‘ traditionally required synthetic android.

The next sequence shows the next stage in the Xenomorph’s life cycle — the Chestburster. While trying to escape the station, Navarro falls deathly ill and illuminates her chest with a light, revealing the alien insider her is ready to pounce. Navarro’s companion, Kay (Isabela Merced), does her best to help, but she’s helpless to stop the extra-terrestrial from breaking free. According to Fede Álvarez, the puppet used in the Chestburster sequence required nine puppeteers to operate.

The third and final clip shown reveals the iconic Xenomorph in its truest form, while also answering a long-standing question for Alien fans — How does the Xenomorph go from a snakelike parasite into a nine-feet-tall monster? Kay wakes up to find a dead Navarro and carnage all around her, before she sees the shed skin of a Chestburster on the floor. She soon sees a horrific and disturbing cocoon on the ship’s walls, and before long, there is a full-grown Xenomorph crawling out of its crevices.

Fede Álvarez Wanted to Make ‘Alien: Romulus’ as Practical as Possible

Just like with his beloved Evil Dead remake, Fede Álvarez is a filmmaker who prides himself on the practicality of his films. In an age where CGI is abundant — with good reason — Álvarez’s films still also make use of real sets, real props, and real animatronics wherever possible to make the blend more seamless. It’s clearly paying off in Alien: Romulus, which thus far is doing an excellent job of showcasing its Xenomorph puppet.

Alvarez also took some time to expand on the thematic elements of the new film. When asked over a video question from original Alien director Ridley Scott, Fede Alvarez said the movie is ultimately about “siblinghood” and the bond that the new characters share in this new adventure. The cast supported this exciting claim, showing that Alien: Romulus could be the most emotional installment in the series yet.

Alien: Romulus screams into theaters on Friday, August 16, 2024. Grab your tickets below and don’t miss the rest of our SDCC coverage all weekend.

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