Fede Alvarez Stepping Back From Directing Alien: Romulus Sequel

The planned sequel to Alien: Romulus is in need of a new director, as Fede Alvarez plans to “pass the torch” on it. Alvarez wrote and directed the 2024 film, which was a success for Disney, and has been at work on the script for the sequel. Alvarez spoke with TooFab at Halloween Horror Nights a couple of days ago and he gave an update, noting that the script is complete and he will produce the movie, but will not direct.

“We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel to Romulus,” Alvarez said (per Dark Horizons). “But I’m gonna pass the torch on this one as director. I’m going to produce it with Ridley Scott, we’re gonna produce it together, and we’re right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in.”

He continued, noting, “I think that’s usually what has happened, except for Ridley, filmmakers come, you make one, and you pass the baton to the next one. But we wrote the story because we really love what we started with Romulus, and we want to continue the story. We love the story, and now we just want to find a director that really wants to go for the jugular.”

Alien: Romulus was set between the events of the first and second film and saw a crew get together to try and scavenge from a derelict spaceship orbiting Earth so they can escape their downtrodden lives, only to encounter the famed Xenomorphs. It is expected (though not confirmed) that the sequel would continue the story with Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and David Jonsson’s Andy.

Romulus grossed $350.9 million worldwide on an $80 million budget.