Alien: Earth debuts its first two episodes on August 12 on Hulu at 8pm ET, with international premieres on FX and Disney+ at 8pm PT/ET. New episodes of the eight-part season will be released every Tuesday.

Set in 2120—well after the events of Prometheus and just two years before Alien and the tragic fate of the Nostromo crew—Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth follows the deep-space research vessel USCSS Maginot as it crash-lands on Earth. A young woman named Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and a group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that brings them face-to-face with the planet’s deadliest threat.

For context, the recent interquel Alien: Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens.

At this stage in the Alien timeline, Earth is controlled by five major corporations: Weyland-Yutani (the primary antagonistic entity in the franchise), Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs and synthetics live alongside humans, but everything changes when the CEO of Prodigy creates hybrids—humanoid robots infused with human consciousness. Wendy is the first hybrid prototype, embodying the franchise's recurring theme of the pursuit of immortality.

One intriguing detail: after a Weyland-Yutani spacecraft crashes into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms "more terrifying than anyone could have imagined."

This hints at the presence of creatures beyond the Xenomorph—or possibly new Xenomorph variants. Reports suggest a total of five different types.

Here is the official summary:

In the year 2120, Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with biological and artificial components) and synthetics (AI-driven humanoid robots) coexist with humans. The balance shifts when the prodigious Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation introduces a technological breakthrough: hybrids, humanoid robots housing human consciousness. The first prototype, named "Wendy," marks a major step forward in the quest for immortality. After a Weyland-Yutani spaceship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids come face-to-face with mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone ever imagined.

Alien: Earth Cast:

Sydney Chandler (Wendy), Timothy Olyphant (Kirsh), Alex Lawther (Hermit), Samuel Blenkin (Boy Kavalier), Babou Ceesay (Morrow), Adrian Edmondson (Atom Eins), David Rysdahl (Arthur Sylvia), Essie Davis (Dame Sylvia), Lily Newmark (Nibs), Erana James (Curly), Adarsh Gourav (Slightly), Jonathan Ajayi (Smee), Kit Young (Tootles), Diêm Camille (Siberian), Moe Bar-El (Rashidi), Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Yutani)

AI Characters (Synthetics) in the Alien Movie Franchise

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In January of last year, showrunner Noah Hawley explained why he chose not to follow the Prometheus backstory for Alien: Earth, stating his preference for the "retro-futurism" of the original films. Hawley mentioned discussing numerous aspects of the Alien series with Ridley Scott, including connections to the prequels, but he ultimately decided to break away from the bioweapon narrative in favor of the lore established in the original movies.

The Alien franchise is expanding rapidly. Alien: Romulus 2 is currently in development, and it appears the Alien universe is once again intersecting with the Predator series in the upcoming Predator: Badlands.