Per Deadline, The End of the F*cking World's Alex Lawther has been cast in the lead role of FX's Alien prequel TV series. Lawther will be portraying a soldier named CJ. Filming is currently underway in Thailand.
Joining Lawther, is Black Mirror's Samuel Blenkin, who will be portraying a CEO. Playing the female lead role, is Sydney Chandler (Don't Worry Darling).
Rounding out the cast are Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) as Dame Silvia and Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as Slightly.
Several other key roles in the series are held by SAG-AFTRA members who are prohibited from filming during the current strike.
American director Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) is spearheading the development of the series as the showrunner.
Hawley previously disclosed to Vanity Fair that the series is set on Earth and will deal with issues of class warfare. "The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of “What happens if you can’t contain it?” are more immediate. "
The Alien prequel has adjusted its schedule to delay the participation of the SAG-AFTRA members for as long as possible, while the strike currently shows no signs of winding down.
Most of the show's cast is comprised of Equity members. Equity is the SAG-AFTA's sister guild that handles actor representation in the U.K. In the U.K., the strike is actually not lawful and any Equity actors who joined the SAG-AFTRA strike run the risk of being sued for breach of contract.