Like Paramount's planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, not everyone was on board with the Disney/Fox merger when it happened. However, it's done wonders for the Alien and Predator franchises.
The latter has flourished on Dan Trachtenberg's watch, and Alien: Romulus was a definite step in the right direction for that long-running sci-fi series after Sir Ridley Scott's divisive prequel movies, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
With Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez at the helm, the franchise was restored to its former glory thanks to a crew of likeable characters and a legitimately terrifying approach to the Xenomorphs.
Unfortunately, it's since been revealed that Álvarez will not return to helm the sequel. He and Rodo Sayagues penned the follow-up's screenplay, and the hunt for a filmmaker has been ongoing for some time now.
According to Nexus Point News, Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One) is now being eyed to helm the untitled Alien: Romulus sequel.
He's described as the "preferred candidate for the job," and is also known for the acclaimed drama Pig, starring Nicolas Cage. His next movie, The Death of Robin Hood, stars Hugh Jackman and arrives in theaters later this year. The filmmaker is also attached to a big-screen adaptation of the Death Stranding video game.
"I don't think I was ever going to [return]," Álvarez previously said of his decision not to return for the follow-up. "We always knew right when we finished – this is one of those things where you come in, and you do one, and get out. Cameron, Fincher. all those directors I love, they went and did one. Obviously, Ridley created it, he has the right to make a bunch of them."
"We did want to write it. Honestly, it’s because we love the characters we created, so we want to make sure no one kills them right at the beginning of the next one. They went and killed Hicks and Newt just like that. Hey, let’s not let that happen," he continued. "We wrote it and made sure they stayed alive, and now we can let someone else make it."
It's too soon to say whether the Alien: Romulus sequel can capture the same level of success as its predecessor without Álvarez behind the camera. The movie has 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $350.9 million at the box office.
The Alien franchise has a habit of swiftly killing off characters from previous chapters so the spotlight can shift to a new set of victims for the Xenomorphs (Hicks and Newt, for example, met a swift end at the start of Alien 3).
Based on Álvarez's remarks, we can expect to see much more of Cailee Spaeny as Marie Raines "Rain" Carradine and David Jonsson as Andy.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.